Tammy Haddad spoke with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., for the June 6 edition of "National Journal On Air." This is a transcript of their conversation.

Q: Senator Daschle, can you take us inside the meeting that took place last night between your candidate, Senator Obama, and your friend, Senator Clinton?

Daschle: Tammy, all I can say is that they had a very productive discussion. They talked about all the important work that needs to be done to get ready for November and succeed in November. I just think it was a very good feeling on both sides as they concluded the meeting and prepared to work together.

Q: Can you give us any details about policy or any specific issues -- I'm talking about issues. I'm not talking about the vice presidency or any of that -- any issues and how they can work together to address them?

Daschle: I don't know that this meeting is designed to do that. This really was the first of what I know will be a series of conversations that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will have over the course of the campaign. We're going to try to meld our campaigns, our organizations. We're gonna try to do all that we can to be a unified party. This was really the initial discussion about how that process begins.

Q: How did Senator Feinstein's house get picked?

Daschle: I don't know. I know that Dianne Feinstein is, of course, very concerned about unifying our party and, as a supporter of Hillary Clinton's and because she had a convenient location and a very private location, I think it just worked. I know that both Barack and Hillary had talked earlier in the week about trying to find a time to get together, and this just seemed to work out well.

Q: Did they enjoy eluding the media?

Daschle: I don't know how much they enjoyed it but it was one of those rare moments where they succeeded.

Q: I had to ask that question. OK, so I have to take you back to 2001, where Senator McCain was rumored to be considering leaving the Republican party. And in an interview with The Hill, you talked about that. Can you tell us more about, I think you called it, quote "intensive talks" to bring him over to the Democrats?

Daschle: Senator McCain at that point was very disenchanted. He felt very troubled by the way he was treated, by the party and by the Administration. He felt concerned about the direction the administration was taking and expressed the interest, not in changing parties but in caucusing with us as an independent. We explored that and how that might work. Ultimately he decided not to do that, but those discussions went on for some time.

Q: Can you tell me what you mean by caucusing? What he meant?

Daschle: From an organizational point of view, we were at a 50-50 Senate at the time. Fifty Democrats and 50 Republicans. It was the first time in history that had ever happened and so we began, as I know they did, to seek people who might be interested in caucusing with us. And by that I mean, shifting that balance from 50-50 to 51-49. So his joining our caucus would have allowed us to that. Of course, ultimately, as history now reports, Jim Jeffords made that decision and joined us, and we became, 51-49, the majority caucus.

Q: Did he badmouth the party? Did he say this president -- who he now embraces -- was against him? Was it personal or was it about the future of the nation?

Daschle: I think in fairness, some of it was personal. But I think it was also -- much of it was policy. He voted against the original tax cuts and said things that were very much in keeping with our own approach and view of tax cuts in 2001. He talked about how concerned he was about many of the individuals that were originally selected to be in the Bush Administration and was concerned that none of the McCain people were given that opportunity to play a role in the administration in the early days. So he was concerned, both about the organization and policy on one side and then the personal concerns he had about his relationship with the president on the other.

Q: Can you tell us about the conversation between Senator Obama and Senator McCain Wednesday night? Reportedly, they had, quote, "a civil discussion about the campaign moving forward." Does that mean there was a pledge not to go negative?

Daschle: I can't speak to that. I mean, I don't know. I haven't had any conversations with the campaign or with Barack about that, so I don't know what they discussed. I have to assume that what they attempted to do was to begin what would hopefully be a have a civil discourse over the next five months about how we might campaign for president and how organizationally to find ways to change the tone. And I am hopeful that we could do that.

Q: Our friends over at CongressDaily today report that you may be interested in some sort of universal health care role, HHS. Now I know you're not going to say anything about that today -- or maybe you will? Going forward on this campaign, are you going to get more involved on these issues? Or what role do you see yourself playing now that the Clinton campaign is coming in, too? Because you've really played a very dominant role and have been a public advocate for the campaign within the party. Now that the party is coming together, what can we see you doing?

Daschle: I'm going to continue to do whatever I can to be helpful. Sometimes as you explore new ground, it is not very precise. I don't have any precise notion of what that role is except to say that I am going to continue to do what I'm doing and whatever else the campaign thinks I can do to be helpful. And as to any future role in government, let me just say, it is entirely premature, and I don't know that story really articulated well my own thoughts. I want to be helpful, but health care is one of many passions I have, and public policy. And maybe there will be a role, but it is premature to be talking about that. And I have really no desire to go back into government unless the circumstances present themselves in the way that would let me consider it.

Q: How do you feel when you watched the "Today" show and Andrea Mitchell was there reporting that finally Senator Obama and Senator Clinton were together? How do you feel about that?

Daschle: This is such a wonderful feeling, frankly. It's a long time in coming. But a lot of us have said for some time that we knew at the right time our party would start coming together and our party would be successful and unified. Just to see the two most important personalities of our party come together as they did this week.... And this is just the beginning. It's very, very gratifying and encouraging as we look to the next few weeks especially.

Q: One more quick question and I will let you go. By the way, is there an Obama party tonight?

Daschle: I think the Obamas are going to take a well-deserved rest. They're going to get some solitude, and they're going to get some quiet time. And I think, More power to them. I hope they get more of it.

Q: OK. Today the McCain campaign released their first ad of the general election which probably you haven't had a chance to see, but I did want to quote from it because John McCain talks about being a POW for five years, Vietnam, all of that experience and then he says these words, "I hate war." What's your reaction to that?

Daschle: I guess, I'm not sure what his motivation was in saying that and I don't know what the context was, but I think he is attempting to persuade the people that war wouldn't be his first option as it has been for the Bush Administration, at least in Iraq. I don't know. I guess before I comment any further, I would need to know what his motivation was or what the context was.

Q: Do you think the war will be the biggest issue in the campaign?

Daschle: I think it's hard to say. I think that the economy is always going to be a big issue and the American people are deeply concerned about the direction our country is taking economically and they're having a hard time making ends meet financially. So I think health care and the economy and circumstances involving working families are going to be a very big part of the campaign and about the dialogue of the campaign.

Q: So are you now using your fist and punching the other campaigns in their fist now? Is the official handshake of the Obama campaign now the knuckle-to-knuckle handshake?

Daschle: I think that was just wonderful. I've seen it now many times on television. Just the chemistry and the affection and the sense of connecting between the two of them is so great and powerful and beautiful in so many ways, and I was delighted to see it. And it just was one of those private moments shared publicly that you treasure.

Q: Excellent. Well the next time I see you, I'm going to teach you the time bomb, which is the second step of the bump. I got that from my six-year-old. Thank you, Senator Daschle.