President-elect Barack Obama welcomed Senator John McCain to his transition headquarters in Chicago today to discuss how they can work together to solve the nation’s pressing challenges.

The 40-minute session at Obama’s transition headquarters, their first meeting since Nov. 4 when Obama handily defeated McCain, was just the latest effort by the president-elect to heal wounds from the long and bitter campaign and seek help from his former rivals. On Thursday, he quietly met here with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his toughest rival for the Democratic nomination and now a possible choice for secretary of state.

McCain’s meeting with Obama was less furtive, and aides to both men said no Cabinet post is envisioned for the Arizona senator. Obama has said he plans to invite at least one Republican to join his Cabinet.

Before Monday’s meeting, Obama said he and McCain would talk about “how we can do some work together to fix up the country.” He thanked McCain “for the outstanding service he’s already rendered.”

“We had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington,” President-elect Obama and Senator McCain said in a joint statement released after the meeting. “We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation’s security.”

Since the election, many Americans — some who supported Sen. McCain in the general election, and some who did not — have written in to urge the two to work together.

Tamara from Springfield, OR wrote. “If you truly want to gain the support and respect of those who did not vote for you, you could ‘reach across the aisle’ so to speak and begin with incorporating some of the ideas from the Republicans.”

“Please work with Senator McCain,” Bill from Minneapolis wrote. “I believe that ‘country first’ is not just a campaign slogan for him. He is a person on the ‘other side of the aisle’ who could be very effective in bringing the other caucus along.”

Some who supported McCain during the election have written in to express their thanks for the promise President-elect Obama made on election night, when he said, “[T]o those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.”

“In your victory speech, you made a huge promise to America…and you spoke to me — a McCain supporter,” Christy from Dallas, TX, wrote. “If you follow through on those promises, I know you will do great things for America….Please keep your word. Work with those of us that disagree. We can learn so much from one another.”

As for Obama and McCain, they expressed similar views on a number of issues during the campaign, such as the dangers of climate change and a need to ease U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.

Aides familiar with Monday’s meeting said the two men spoke of working together on that broad issue, as well as on comprehensive immigration revisions, an effort McCain helped to spearhead in the Senate in 2006. The measure collapsed, and Obama will face difficult decisions in how far to push changes in immigration laws in a Congress dominated by Democrats.

They also discussed the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, which both men have criticized and Obama has vowed to close.

Obama also praised a proposal McCain has championed to establish a commission to reform “corporate welfare,” aides said.

They did not discuss specific legislation, the aides said. But Obama’s incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close McCain friend and adviser, were expected to discuss a joint legislative effort. Emanuel and Graham participated in the meeting.

(Eli Gefen – YWN NYC)