Ahead of his historic January 20 swearing-in, President-elect Barack Obama visited the White House and held discussions with its current occupant George W Bush.
Obama, accompanied by wife Michelle Obama, was received by President Bush and first lady Laura Bush at the mansion's South Portico.
The Obamas trip to Washington DC was materialised after Bush extended an invitation to the President-elect and his wife to visit their future home.
After their arrival and a brief greeting session, the Obamas went about their separate ways -- the President-elect closeting with Bush while Michelle Obama on a tour of the mansion with the First Lady Laura Bush.
The meeting between the 43rd and the 44th Presidents comes six days after Obama defeated Bush's Republican successor John McCain after a bitterly fought campaign which saw the Democrat coming down heavily on the incumbent's "failed policies".
Even before the much awaited meeting could take place, the White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said that details of discussions between the President and the President-elect were going to remain private except for some general "readout" that may be made available to the media.
Few details of the Bush-Obama discussions have been disclosed but it is generally believed that the historic Oval Office meeting did go over a number of pressing domestic and foreign policy issues.
