US president-elect Barack Obama and his defeated Republican rival John McCain pledged on Monday a "new era of reform" to solve the US economic crisis, transform energy policy and safeguard national security.
Two weeks after the November 4 election, the pair said in a statement after talks in Chicago that Americans of all parties wanted their leaders to unite and "change the bad habits of Washington".
The meeting in Obama's transition headquarters put substance to his promise of reaching out to old opponents as the Democratic president-elect crafts an expansive agenda.
"It is in this spirit that 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 in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hard-working American family.
"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," Obama and the Arizona senator said.
They were joined by McCain's close Senate friend, Republican Lindsey Graham, and Congressman Rahm Emanuel, soon-to-be White House chief of staff.
Obama's transition team is said to be conducting an in-depth vetting of the finances of his former primary rival Hillary Clinton and husband Bill Clinton with a view to naming her his secretary of state.
On CBS program 60 Minutes late on Sunday, Obama confirmed he had met the former first lady but refused to say if he made her a job offer. The Democrat also said he would name at least one Republican to his cabinet, but again was coy when pressed for details.
Obama noted his political hero, Civil War president Abraham Lincoln, assembled a hard-driving "team of rivals" drawn from his opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860. "There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful."
A transition source said Obama would not go as far as offering McCain a post in his cabinet. They differ markedly on how to rescue the economy and on Obama's determination to end the war in Iraq.
In his CBS interview, Obama said repairing the stricken US economy would be his top priority when he succeeds George W Bush on January 20, even if the budget erodes further.
The president-elect vowed to pull troops out of Iraq, crush al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and shut down the Guantanamo Bay internment camp.
