What if Barack Obama should do something really mavericky and appoint John McCain to his Cabinet? I’m thinking that it would be pretty cool to make him Secretary of Homeland Security or something. Though he lost the election, he obviously appeals to many Americans and if Obama really wants to lead by example, it might be a brilliant move.
Or a foolish one. What do you think?
Why should Obama endorse the positions of the less popular candidate? America chose him, not McCain.
McCain is way too aggressive. He wants to go after Iran. He wants to stay in Iraq. He wants to keep the system of financing the wars that is bankrupting for us. He wants a bigger defense. He has to go.
Foolish. McCain would work to sabotage Obama at every turn, and isn’t all that capable anyway.
Dumb, really really dumb.
Right, which is why it wouldn’t be a good idea to make him Secretary of Defense or State. But I don’t think he and Obama have vastly different views on Homeland Security issues.
Yes 52% of Americans voted for Obama, which means 48% did not. If he really wants to unify the country it might make sense to include McCain in *some *capacity. But as far as I know it’s never been done, so maybe there’s a reason for that.
Foolish. The McCain of eight years ago, who I would have seriously considered voting for? Still probably not brilliant, but at least understandable. This McCain? Foolish.
Also, I read somewhere that long service in the Senate correlated strongly with bad/ineffective Presidents. (Short service in the Senate made for average or good Presidents, I think). I fear that the same things which make long time Senators bad Presidents may make them bad Cabinet members as well.
Also, I fear, for all his rhetoric, the Maverick doesn’t play well with others–so we are back to foolish.
If he chose McCain over Richard Clarke for Homeland Security I’d march down to the election office and demand my vote back. What an appalling thought! But of course, that won’t happen. Obama’s meeting with McCain on Monday and I assume it’s a “reach across the aisle even though you’re a dick” moment, nothing more. Maybe he could appoint McCain to head the Department of Old Guys Who Let Nasty Partisanship Come Before Country and Common Sense or something.
Seriously, if McCain were to be offered anything, I’d assume it would be Secretary of Veteran Affairs seeing as how McCain was a POW and all. Not that that makes him qualified, but he sure isn’t qualified for any of the other positions.
Well…the Dems are darn near a filibuster proof 60 votes in the Senate. If they do not pick up the last three Senate seats still undecided then Obama can appoint a Republican from a state with a Democratic governor. The Governor could then appoint a Dem to the open Senate seat. As it happens Arizona has a Dem governor.
So let’s say the Dems get 2 of the outstanding three seats (two seems likely although it is close all over…Alaska seems a shoe in, Minnesota is a tough call, Georgia the Reps are going to go ape shit defending so another tough call). If the Dems have 59 Obama in a gesture of bipartisanship and reaching out to those 48% who voted for McCain Obama could appoint him to, say, Veteran Affairs (or maybe toss him a juicy Ambassadorship).
McCain would be cornered. His party would almost certainly beg him to keep his Senate seat. If he leaves the Dems get their 60 votes and McCain is somewhere relatively harmless. If he remains a Senator then Obama can say he tried to be magnanimous.
Gotta love politics sometimes. 
I take that back. He may or may not be qualified for anything else, but he can’t be trusted in anything else. Would YOU want someone who questioned your patriotism and let their dingbat VP pick practically call you a terrorist on your Cabinet, especially Homeland Security? Where’s McCain been in calling for stricter oversight of ports?
Barack Obama is trying to get the best and the brightest people into his Cabinet. John McCain does not qualify.
It would behoove Obama to reach out to the center right, yes, but there’s ways to do that without handing power to someone who just spent that last two years saying you were unfit to lead.
Besides, McCain could better serve his party and political PoV from the minority in the senate than by doing Obama’s bidding in the executive branch. I doubt he’d be interested.
Seriously? The Democrats will never get a filibuster-proof majority in this Congress; Lieberman will defect any time they try to stop someone.
That would certainly be mavericky. Synonyms for “mavericky” include “erratic” and “unreliable”. That’s part of the reason why Obama won this election in the first place.
For the record, Lieberman is a douchenozzle, and he’s publicly endorsed and campaigned for Republicans, but he’s also voted with Democrats the vast majority of the time. (That is, when the majority of Democrats were on one side, and the majority of Republicans on the other, which happens a lot less than people think.)
Also, for another record, it was closer to 53-46 than 52-48.
This is wrong. In Arizona, it’s required for the governor to appoint someone from the same political party as the outgoing senator.
Brilliant of Obama to offer, Foolish of McCain to accept IF it means leaving his Senate seat.
Best option- McCain heads a Republican Congressional Coalition to work with the Obama Administration & the Democratic Congress.
with mccain’s voting record i wouldn’t let him anywhere near veteran’s affairs.
i’m thinking it is just a meeting with nothing major news wise coming out of it.
Secretary of Pudding?
On the surface, it seems like a good idea to try to draw Republicans away from the Senate into the Obama administration. However, the only Republicans that would accept such a position would be the ones more likely to be reaching across the aisle, anyway, so the net effect would probably be less than zero. Even Republicans can do that kind of math.