6 Nov 2008

God bless my successor - Bush

6:16 am on 6 November 2008

President George Bush cloistered himself with family and friends as America voted on Tuesday, privately invoking God's blessing on whoever succeeds him.

Democrat Barak Obama defeated Republican John McCain on Tuesday to become the first black man to be elected president of the United States.

Mr Bush hosted a dinner with relatives and close aides, celebrating US First Lady Laura Bush's birthday in a White House dining room with a dinner, according to press secretary Dana Perino said by email.

"The president gave a toast at the start of the dinner thanking those present for all the work they've done and for their friendship. He ended by saying, 'And may God bless whoever wins tonight,'" Ms Perino told reporters.

But Mr Bush was to stay out of sight, and Ms Perino announced that she would not make any public remarks on the election on Tuesday.

The president - who gave the first lady, 62, a pair of earrings - watched election returns with family and senior aides in the residence section of the presidential mansion, she said.

"The president believes tonight is a night to appreciate the strength of our country and our democracy, as citizens from all over the country exercised their right to vote today, after a historic campaign," she said.

"The president is committed to a transition that is as smooth as possible, a process that has been under way for many months, and as soon as we have a president-elect we'll be able to do even more on that front," Ms Perino said.

Mr Bush endorsed Mr McCain in a high-profile public White House event in March, but the Arizona senator has mostly fled from the incumbent, who is vastly unpopular with American voters.

In recent days, Mr Bush has barely appeared in public - and then sometimes only for seconds as he walked from his Oval Office to the Marine One presidential helicopter on his way to the Camp David retreat.

Ms Perino has blamed the heavy workload from the global financial crisis, the war in Georgia, or recent hurricanes, while acknowledging that Mr Bush was mostly a burden for Mr McCain.

"The Republican Party wanted to make this election about John McCain, and that's appropriate," she said.