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Gov. Jim Douglas reported Monday evening he spent about 30 minutes with President Barack Obama earlier in the day -- although he admitted he really hadn't kept track of the time.

They talked about the economic recovery legislation pending in Congress. Douglas said he stressed he didn't have a favorite -- there is a House and Senate version and will likely be a third version in the end. His message was simply that states need help so please do something fast.

Obama told Douglas, according to the governor, that he's trying hard to find a package that wins at least some bipartisan support.

The invitation to meet the president came over the weekend and out of the blue (kind of an apt term when talking about a Democrat, don't you think?) Douglas had a speaking engagement and decided to piggyback onto his trip to DC some meetings about the stimulus package.