AP Photo-White House

From FoxNews.Com’s Reporting

President-elect Barack Obama and his future first lady, Michelle spent more than an hour at the White House Monday, getting a tour of what will soon be their new home.

As a large group of onlookers watched from the sidewalk, the Obamas’ limo arrived early for their 2 p.m. ET meeting with President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. The motorcade was befitting of the next president of the United States.

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White House press secretary Dana Perino described the meeting as “constructive, relaxed and friendly.”

She said the president and his successor spoke about domestic and international issues, as Bush showed Obama his eventual living quarters and office, as well as the Lincoln Bedroom and the rooms where the Obamas’ two daughters will stay.

Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter described the meeting as “productive and friendly,” saying they had a “broad discussion” about the importance of working together for a smooth transition.

AP Photo- White House

The Obamas stayed for more than an hour before heading back separately to the airport for their return trips to their hometown of Chicago. The president-elect was staying in town later to hold private meetings with his advisers.He is expected to soon open his transition office in Chicago.

DOWNINGTOWN, PA — While John McCain said he did “pretty well” at his most recent showdown with Barack Obama, he told supporters today that “the real winner of last night’s debate was Joe the Plumber.”

“He won and small businesses won across America. They won because the American people are not going to let Senator Obama raise their taxes in a tough economy. They are not going to let em do it, my friends,” McCain said at a rally outside Philadelphia today. “Small businesses provide 16 million jobs in America and Americans know that raising taxes on small business will kill those jobs at a time when we need to be creating more jobs.”

The GOP nominee picked up where he left off last night and chided Obama for telling the Ohio plumber, who questioned the Democrat’s plan to increase taxes on those making $250K and above, that it is necessary to “spread the wealth around.”

“Now what does that mean? He wants government to take Joe’s money and give it to somebody else-his hard earned dollars. We are not gonna stand for that. America didn’t become the greatest nation on earth by spreading the wealth. We became the greatest nation on earth by creating new wealth,” he added today after mentiong Joe’s name 21 times last night.

McCain also deviated from planned remarks today to repeat his line from last night explictly declaring his differences with President Bush.

“We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: waiting for our luck to change. As I mentioned last night to Senator to Obama. I’m not George Bush and if he wanted to run against George Bush he should have run four years ago,” he said to cheers.

For his part, Sen. Joe Lieberman, who gave an intro speech at the rally today, kept his praise focussed on McCain’s performance and declared the debate a gamechanger.

“We turned the corner in the debate last night, didn’t we? We changed the momentum, we’re on the road to victory in Pennsylvania and for all America,” the Connecticut Senator said.

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Memorable moment at the top of the debate tonight at Hofstra University. Senator McCain made his most explicit statement to date distancing himself President Bush declaring:

“Senator Obama, I am not President Bush, if you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago. I will take this country in a new direction.”

McCain usually mentions differences he has had with the President on Iraq and torture but has never gone this far before.

NEW YORK — President Bush’s record seems to trail John McCain wherever he goes…literally.

Oliver Stone’s new Bush biopic, “W.,” will be premiering Tuesday night across the street from the New York Hilton, where it just so happens McCain is spending the night.

Asked today whether President Bush is concerned about McCain’s standing in the polls, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the commander in chief is still certain that the GOP nominee can succeed him in the Oval Office.

Q Dana, has the President voiced any concern about what appears to be happening to John McCain’s fortunes in the last week or two?

MS. PERINO: The President is convinced that John McCain has still time to close up this race. And remember — he remembers when he was running in 2000 and how far he was down before the election, and he came back to win.

Responding to charges that he represents a third Bush term, McCain tells Fox that Obama offers the nation a second term for President Carter.

“You know one of his favorite phrases is that I would be a Bush third term. Well I think maybe his proposals could be a Carter second term,” McCain told Fox during an interview at campaign headquarters Monday afternoon.

McCain also discusses his strategy to win over Reagan Democrats and has some tough words for Obama’s economic policies, labeling the IL Senator a “liberal, doctrinaire Democrat.”

SEE INTERVIEW IN CAMERON’S CORNER…

PART I…

PART II…

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PHOENIX, AZ — It was short and sweet. Really short in fact.

After accompanying President Bush to the airport after a closed fundraiser Tuesday afternoon, Sen. McCain saw off the Commander in Chief on the tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

It was the first time McCain and Bush have been seen publicly together since the presumptive GOP nominee visited the White House on March 5, but if you turned away you might have missed it as the two were on the tarmac together for only 26 seconds and within camera shot for a total of 47 seconds.

The McCain campaign was clearly trying to limit public time with the President–whose disapproval rating stands at 71 percent–as the goodbye did not take place until 9pm ET, hours after the nightly newscasts signed off.

Upon arrival at the airport, the Senator, Mrs. McCain and President Bush all exited the same limo and walked toward the plane. Bush and Sen. McCain each waved and pointed to the assembled press under the plane’s left wing before McCain gave him a hearty handshake and a pat on the back. Bush kissed Mrs. McCain on the cheek before climbing the stairs to Air Force One.

Behind closed doors however, they spent more than hour at a fundraiser where Bush helped McCain net about $3 million according to sources familiar with the event. Among the more than 500 donors at the private home in the Phoenix suburbs was former Vice President Dan Quayle.

The Phoenix haul brings McCain’s Tuesday cash total to $4.5 million—he raised $1.5 million at an earlier fundraiser in Denver. Per usual, the funds will be channeled to a number of different accounts including the RNC Victory fund, several state Republican parties and McCain’s primary fund. Bush will continue raising money for McCain Wednesday in Utah where he is set to attend two events with Mitt Romney, while the presumptive nominee campaigns in Reno and Los Angeles.

Sen. Obama and Democrats who have been trying to lump McCain in with Bush whenever possible tried to make hay out the closed fundraiser earlier today.

“Today, John McCain is having a different kind of meeting. He’s holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters. And we all know why. Senator McCain doesn’t want to be seen, hat in hand, with the president whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years,” Obama told a Nevada crowd today.

The McCain campaign’s Tucker Bounds responded with this statement that rides the fine line of differentiating himself from the White House with out being seen as disrespectful.

“Whether the issue is global climate change or urging a more effective strategy in Iraq, John McCain has had clear but respectful differences of opinion with the President. However, it isn’t surprising that Barack Obama is trying to disguise his own lack of depth and weak leadership on the issues with political generalizations and superficial attacks,” Bounds said.

For the McCain campaign, the final April fundraising numbers provide some good news and some bad news.

While the presumptive GOP nominee raised a personal record total of $17.8 million and finished the month with more than $21.7 million in cash on hand according to his campaign’s Federal Election Commission filing, McCain’s money figures still pale in comparison to the numbers put up by likely rival Barack Obama.

Despite facing an ongoing primary fight and losing four of five contests (TX, OH, RI and PA) in April, Obama still raised $31.3 million and went into May with $37.3 million in the campaign war chest. Additionally, more than 50 percent of Obama’s cash came from small donors in increments of $25 or less, while April saw McCain attend nearly daily big money fundraisers around the country. Additionally, the McCain campaign is increasingly focusing it’s attention on big donors, setting up a Victory Fund in coordination with the RNC last month that enables supporters to give up to $70,000 through multiple channels.

However, McCain campaign advisers are pointing to the large haul last month by the Republican National Committee and it’s mammoth cash advantage over the Democratic National Committee. The RNC outraised the DNC by $11 million in April–$15.7 million vs. $4.7 million–and finished the month with a nearly $35 million cash advantage–$40.1 vs. $4.4 million.

When combined, McCain/RNC fundraising nearly matches the Obama/DNC total and the GOPers hold a $20 million+ advantage in cash on hand. While Obama, Clinton and the DNC set up a joint fundraising committee in the last week and the DNC has launched multiple ads and efforts attacking McCain, the continuing primary fight still formally prevents Obama and the DNC from completely coordinating fundraising, messaging and political efforts. McCain and the RNC have no such issue have been working in unison for nearly three months.

President Bush will hit the money trail with McCain in Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon for a major fundraiser–including a private reception for donors giving $25,000+. The President will then join Mitt Romney (without McCain) for two fundraisers in Utah the following day, including an evening event for donors giving or collecting a minimum of $30,800 at Romney’s Park City, UT home.

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JERSEY CITY, NJ — McCain laughs off suggestions he didn’t vote for President Bush in 2000, saying the accusation marks the start of political “silly season.”

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New Orleans, LA — During a trip to the still-ravaged and mostly abandoned Lower Ninth Ward Thursday, Sen. McCain repeatedly hammered President Bush for the government’s failure in the lead up and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

It was an important moment for the presumptive GOP nominee to distance himself from the unpopular president Democrats are hoping to attach him to in the fall.