Emanuel to Bolten: ‘I’ll Miss You’

Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel heaped praise upon the man he’s replacing, Joshua Bolten, for the way the Bush administration has handled the presidential transition.

Emanuel, during a news conference Tuesday with Bolten, called the administration’s cooperation “unprecedented” and thanked Bolten for being readily accessible.

“We had immediate phone call right after the election when I was named,” Emanuel said. “We had, also, the meeting of the presidents just the other day. I’ve now been over with Josh one way or another four separate times. I’m going [to] miss you.”

Bolten noted that the Bush administration and the Obama transition team has been in contact since immediately after the election, and he said that almost 1,000 members of the transition have received security clearances to receive information and briefings.

“In the post-9/11 world, this isn’t just good mannered, good government; it’s a national security responsibility,” Bolten said.

Bolten also praised Emanuel and John Podesta, co-chairman of the transition, for “ensuring that the Obama team is fully engaged.”

Members of the administration and the transition will take part in a homeland security exercise and a briefing in the White House situation room on Tuesday, Bolten said.