Bush and Obama's Presidential Meeting Is Unique in History

Former presidents - Five at one time...and none

Wasn't there a time in CLinton's presidency when five former predisents were living:

Bush 41

Reagan

Carter

Ford

Nixon

Clinton had a chance to get a photo op for the ages, but he didn't.

And, wasn't there a time in Nixon's presidency when there were NO living former presidents?

What's the record for living former presidents?

Your memory is correct. There was a well publicized photo of the 5 presidents and their wives sitting in order of service. I also recall Nixon getting all of the living presidents to attend the dedication of his library though I am less certain on that one. There was also a full house at Reagan and Ford's funerals though they didn't all sit together in a row. And if one makes an exception for Reagan because of his health, all attended the September 11th memorial on Friday, September 14th 2001 in Washington.

Five Ex-Presidents At Once

"...this was the first meeting of all living presidents since October 1981..."

Not true. Five Presidents, former and (then) current, were present at the dedication of the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA, on November 4, 1991. Here is a photo:

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/05/gonzos_top_5_presidential_phot.html

What did Obama say?

I notice that the cable news didn't have audio as to what Obama said.

Barack Obama's lunch with four presidents

It is kind of unfair to say that Jimmy Carter would be a "hindrance" than help. Many of us believe that Carter was a great president for all those who suffered injustice at the hands of the powerful blokes in the US. His write up on Israel and Palestine, his concern for the down trodden and particularly his concern for the Americans' addiction to oil shows that the man was wiser than his times justified.

Come on, Michael

You're better than this lame trivia retell. Also, you underplayed the fact that all the living presidents opposed Lincoln, which leads me to believe you just put this together out of a trivia book. Michael's right. There's the famous photo of the five living ex's at Nixon's funeral. They were also all at Reagan's funeral. Furthermore, no mention of the rarity of having no ex-presidents alive. This is a piece worthy of a blog, not Michael Barone.

Nixon Funeral

If memory serves me right, Pres. Reagan, Pres. G.H.W. Bush, Pres. Ford, Pres. Carter, and Pres. Clinton were all at the Nixon funeral.

Yes Obama will have a lot of advisers. Maybe he could consult George W Bush for advice regarding the Iraq situation. Maybe even make Bush a sort of envoy to the Middle East.

Interesting

Thanks for the history. Please cite or provide link to your sources so I can verify.