By Steven R. Hurst
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama sat down Wednesday among one of the world's most exclusive clubs, gathering with President George W. Bush and the nation's three living former chief executives for a get-together that has not happened in the White House since 1981.

The symbolic meeting less than two weeks before Obama's inauguration may have provided a welcome relief from distractions that have buffeted the next president in the first days since he returned to the capital to focus on melding bipartisan support for an economic rescue plan that will cost taxpayers a much as a trillion dollars.

"I just want to thank the president for hosting us," the president-elect said, flanked by former President George H.W. Bush on one side and his son on the other.

Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, both smiling broadly, stood with them.

"All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office," said Obama, who takes office Jan. 20. "For me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary."

In a swift photo opportunity, the current president wished Obama well before all five men headed to a private lunch that lasted about 90 minutes.

"One message that I have and I think we all share is that we want you to succeed. Whether we're Democrat or Republican we care deeply about this country," Bush said. "All of us who have served in this office understand that the office itself transcends the individual."

Bush and Obama also met privately for roughly 30 minutes in the Oval Office before the lunch. That one-on-one meeting, coming just 13 days before Obama's inauguration, is more likely to focus on grim current events, with war in the Gaza Strip and the U.S. economy in a recession.

All parties seemed determined to keep details of what was discussed at the lunch confidential.

Describing the lunch only in broad terms after it ended, Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "The president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office, as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now. The president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years."

Obama has sought to strike a balance as the power curve bends his way. He has been publicly rallying Congress behind a massive economic stimulus plan, but remains deferential to Bush on foreign affairs. He will not comment on Israel's raging conflict with Hamas on grounds that doing so would be dangerous for the United States.

"You can't have two administrations running foreign policy at the same time," Obama said at a news conference before his meeting with Bush.

As the United States continues a downward spiral not seen since the 1930s Great Depression, Obama had spent his first day back in Washington meeting on Capitol Hill with key members of Congress to urge quick legislation to stabilize what he termed a "very sick" economy.

To a public wary of government spending, Obama is offering a salve with his massive economic stimulus package: the promise of long-term fiscal discipline.

Budget-conscious lawmakers are pressing Obama to embrace deficit-reduction goals even as he promotes a spending and tax cutting plan — expected to cost about $775 billion — to jolt the economy out of its downward spiral.

Obama said Wednesday that reforming massive government entitlement programs — such as the Social Security pension program and Medicare health insurance for the elderly — would be "a central part" of his effort to control federal spending.

Obama made the pledge but provided few details as he named Nancy Killefer as his administration's chief performance officer, creating a new White House position aimed at eliminating government waste and improving efficiency.

Noting that the Congressional Budget Office had just estimated he would inherit a $1.2 trillion federal deficit for fiscal 2009, Obama promised to cut unnecessary spending.

This is likely to reassure Republican and Democratic fiscal conservatives who are worried about the unprecedented cost of the stimulus package.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have been distracted by an ugly bit of political theater that unfolded in Congress on Tuesday when the Senate barred Roland Burris from taking Obama's vacated Illinois Senate seat. Burris was appointed by the state's embattled governor, Rod Blagojevich, who stands accused of trying to sell the position to the highest bidder.

On Wednesday, Burris met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the Senate Democrats looked for a way to defuse the standoff and set forth the legal steps under which they're willing to welcome him into the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate is awaiting a court ruling in a case that tests whether the Illinois secretary of state is required to sign Burris' certification.

Burris, who would be the Senate's only black member, said Wednesday he expects "very shortly" to represent the state of Illinois in the U.S. Senate.