Obama, Bernie Sanders plan a private meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday

OPINION:

It has captured considerable attention from the press. On the docket for Wednesday, late morning: A private meeting at the White House between President Obama and Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders. There are sparse details and only neutral comments from those who might know the details.

“The President and Sen. Sanders first discussed this meeting last December when Senator Sanders attended the Congressional Holiday Ball. The two will meet privately in the Oval Office and there will be no formal agenda,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a simple statement.

Speculation about the nature and intent of the encounter has intensified, particularly in the wake of a wide-ranging interview Mr. Obama gave to Politico, calling Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton “a good, smart, tough person who cares deeply about this country,” and praising her potential as a leader and policy expert.

Mr. Sanders, the president also noted, has “great authenticity, great passion and is fearless.”

Mr. Obama later added, “Bernie has tapped into a running thread in Democratic politics that says: Why are we still constrained by the terms of the debate that were set by Ronald Reagan 30 years ago? You know, why is it that we should be scared to challenge conventional wisdom and talk bluntly about inequality and, you know, be full-throated in our progressivism? And, you know, that has an appeal and I understand that. I think that what Hillary presents is a recognition that translating values into governance and delivering the goods is ultimately the job of politics, making a real-life difference to people in their day-to-day lives.”

The interview was released Monday.