McCain says a ‘much more centrist’ Obama ‘much’ easier to work with

The president has become more centrist, which makes him easier to work with, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thursday.

Speaking
with Bloomberg Television a day after a private meeting with President
Obama, McCain said he could picture working with Obama on several issues going forward.

“I think there’s a number of issues we could work on together, and I
think it’s pretty clear that the president has really pivoted to a much
more centrist position, which I think makes it much more for us easier to
work with him,” McCain said. 

McCain said his meeting with Obama was “cordial,” as his relationship with the president has been.
 
“The
relationship I’ve always had with him is cordial,” McCain said. “We had
strong differences on ObamaCare, on the stimulus package — and they were
passionate differences — but we’ve always had a cordial relationship, and
that’s based on my respect for the office of the presidency of the
United States.”

Since the 2008 election, McCain has been one of Obama’s biggest

critics, particularly on government spending and repealing the “Don’t
ask,
don’t tell” policy barring gays from serving openly in the military.
After the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
(D-Ariz.), though, McCain praised
Obama’s speech at the memorial service for the victims of the shooting.

McCain said he thought he and Obama could work together going
forward on issues like immigration reform and enhanced rescission.

McCain’s meeting with Obama was their first one-on-one discussion since right after the 2008 presidential election.

Some observers have called Obama’s decision to extend all the Bush
tax cuts and his appointment of former JPMorganChase executive William
Daley as his chief of staff signs that he is moving to the center.