"I hope that him and I can put this behind us"

“Bob and I have known each other for 20 years, and we’ve always had a friendly and respectful relationship,” Sperling said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“Anyone who looks at the e-mails that went from me and came back from him can see that there’s respect and friendliness,” he continued…

As to why Woodward didn’t interpret the e-mail in the spirit that Sperling said it was written, Sperling said, “I can’t explain that entirely, but I’ll say the following: I think he’s a legend. I hope that him and I can put this behind us, and I hope that it helps all of us focus on the issues that Bob and I care more about, which is how we come to the type of budget agreement that will help our economy, help jobs, help middle-class Americans.”