Obama, Clintons improve relationships

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The relationship between Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton has improved markedly in recent weeks, observers say.

While still complicated and at times strained, the détente between Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, and former President Clinton began during a Sept. 11 lunch meeting at Clinton's New York office when Obama sought to tap his White House experiences, the Washington publication Politico reported Monday.

"There was very little talk about politics," an unnamed source said. "He basically asked, 'What's it like to be president? What should the next president do?' … Instead of talking about the eight battleground states, they talked about the world, and that was really smart."

Former Democratic primary election rival Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York reportedly began healing her rift with Obama when he embraced much of her domestic agenda. She is also motivated by an unshakable conviction that a victory by Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona would be disastrous for the United States, the publication said.

"She's convinced (McCain) would destroy the country," a source close to the former first lady told Politico.