McConnell says he will work with Obama

Mitch McConnell has gone on record as saying he will work with Obama. What he actually did say was, "You son of a gun, if you ever interupt my grocery shopping again, I'll tell the world your dirty little secret. Don't you know how hard it is to find the perfect apples. Apparently, you don't. Now, what apple was I at?"

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was shopping at the Kroger on Bardstown Road in Louisville on Thursday when his cell phone rang.

On the other end was President-elect Barack Obama.

The Kentucky Republican had called Obama, an Illinois Democrat, and left him a message Wednesday night.

Obama's return call lasted about five minutes.

The two congratulated each other on their victories in Tuesday's election, according to McConnell spokesman Robert Steurer.

McConnell, who will be the most powerful Republican in Washington when President Bush leaves in January, told Obama he would move quickly on the Senate confirmations of the president-elect's Cabinet nominees.[...]

Obama, of course, campaigned for the White House in part by attacking the Republican record of the last eight years, most of which McConnell supported.

McConnell ran for re-election to his fifth term in the Senate in part by attacking what he called the "liberal" Democratic ticket that he said did not reflect Kentuckians' values.

And McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984, is not close to Obama, who was elected to the Senate in 2004.

"I don't know him very well, but I think he's certainly an impressive individual," McConnell told reporters Wednesday. "He ran a great race, and I intend to have a good relationship with him.

"I try to deal with my colleagues in a cordial manner, regardless of which side of the aisle they're on," McConnell continued. "And he's certainly somebody that's easy to like personally."[...]

McConnell said it is "much too early" to talk about how much support Obama can expect from Republicans.

"I think it will depend in large measure on the direction the administration takes," he said.

"What I have said," McConnell added, "is that we intend to be very cooperative if he presents, and I'm sure he will, qualified candidates for the Cabinet and trying to get those Cabinet positions confirmed as quickly as possible, particularly in sensitive area like defense and Treasury, homeland security and the attorney general."

Um, Mitch, he's been in the Senate the last three years or so, how do you not know him well?