PHILADELPHIA — President-elect Barack Obama promised swift action yesterday on an economic plan "to solve this crisis and to ease the burden on our states," and he cast governors as his partners in crafting a recession-rebound strategy.

"This administration does not intend to delay in getting you the help that we need," Obama said as he met with the chief executives of most states and sought to rally bipartisan support for an economic stimulus.

Hawai'i Gov. Linda Lingle skipped the governors meeting with Obama. Lenny Klompus, a senior Lingle aide, said last week the governor could not rearrange her schedule to attend the meeting. He said the governor's office had been told of the gathering a week before it took place.

The president-elect has set a goal of saving or creating 2.5 million jobs to boost the economy, which experts say has been in recession for the past year. His aides and congressional leaders have been discussing the outlines of a measure that could exceed $500 billion over two years. Congress wants to have it ready for his signature shortly after his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told reporters that Obama and the governors agreed that the measure must include money for infrastructure as well as bureaucratic reforms to make it easier to complete programs without having to cut through piles of red tape.

"The top priority is to invest in these areas," Emanuel said, listing roads, bridges, high-speed rail, water-treatment systems, schools, medical information technology, broadband networks, transportation systems and "green" technology. "The governors see that as essential to their own economic recovery ... and we see it as essential to the economic recovery of the country."

But Emanuel was noncommittal on whether the legislation would contain exactly what the governors seek — some $136 billion more for infrastructure projects and at least $40 billion to temporarily increase the federal government's contribution to the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled. "We're going to review all that," he said.

The measure is expected to blend money for those priorities with tax cuts, a temporary increase in food stamp payments, as well as investments in renewable energy projects and other "green jobs" initiatives.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden also joked about being eclipsed by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during the campaign. "No one pays attention to me at all. ... Maybe you will walk outside with me or something later and say hello to me," he said, eliciting guffaws.

Palin praised Obama for choosing some fellow governors for the new Cabinet. "On the campaign trail I tried to convince a majority of voters that governors knew best," she said. "Obviously that didn't work."