President pays visit to Rev. Graham

MONTREAT, N.C. -- President Obama arrived at the Rev. Billy Graham's mountaintop log cabin Sunday afternoon, making a brief visit to the 91-year-old evangelist who has been a spiritual adviser to presidents for seven decades.

The pair met for about half an hour after Obama ended a brief vacation in nearby Asheville. Then the president departed for a somber memorial service in West Virginia for 29 miners who died in a coal-mine explosion April 5.

Deputy press secretary Bill Burton said it was the first face-to-face meeting between the president and Graham, who has been ailing.

"Reverend Graham has obviously been an important spiritual leader to past presidents," Burton told reporters. "He's a real treasure to our country, and the president appreciates the opportunity to visit him at his home."

Burton said that Graham has "some of the creaks that come with advancing age," but added that "he's still as sharp as he ever was."

After the meeting, Burton said in a statement: "The President had a private prayer and conversation with Rev. Graham. He is extraordinarily gratified that he took the time to meet with him."