Bernie Sanders talks 'a bit of politics' with Obama as Iowa caucuses approach
by David Smith
Hillary Clinton’s supporters must have been hoping it was not a glimpse of the future.
Bernie Sanders, the man once dismissed as a white-haired socialist senator from a tiny state, found himself centre stage on Wednesday as he marched into the White House.
His private 45-minute meeting with Barack Obama at the Oval Office came just days before the Iowa caucuses, where, once unthinkably, polls show Sanders running neck and neck with Clinton for the Democratic nomination. He has a clear lead in the next contest, in New Hampshire on 9 February.
Sanders emerged with from the West Wing in a winter coat with striped tie and a smile. He told reporters he talked foreign policy, the economy and “a little bit of politics” during a “constructive” conversation with Obama, their first extended meeting since the Vermont senator became a serious contender for the Democratic nomination.
Speaking in the White House driveway, the anti-establishment figure laughed as he said he did not directly ask for Obama’s endorsement. The president recently praised Clinton’s pedigree in an interview with Politico while noting that Sanders had the “luxury of being a complete long shot” and was a “bright, shiny object” in need of some more scrutiny.
But Sanders said: “There was some discussion the other day about a Politico interview where he was tipping the scales towards Secretary Clinton. I don’t believe that at all.
“I think he and the vice-president have tried to be fair and even-handed in the process and I expect they will continue to be that way.”
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http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/27/bernie-sanders-barack-obama-meeting
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