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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Obama should consider McCain for a cabinet position

Nov. 5, I woke up with mixed feelings.

I disagree with Barack Obama on several ideological issues, but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The next four, or eight, years are a blank slate for now, and any idea of what an Obama presidency will look like is a conjecture at best.

I was heartened by John McCain’s concession speech urging support for Obama. He was a very gracious loser, and it made me feel proud for supporting him with my vote.

In the midst of my disappointment over McCain’s loss, a thought crossed my mind. Actually, it was one that had crossed my mind before.

As Obama is picking his Cabinet over the next two months, why not consider McCain?

Think it’s crazy? Well, Obama actually told reporters that McCain would make a great addition to his Cabinet back when the two candidates met on Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center site.

Here would be a great opportunity for Obama to prove the things he said during the campaign were true and not just empty promises.

All the things that made McCain qualified to be the president makes him just as much, if not all the more, qualified to be a high-ranking member of a presidential administration.

McCain has more than 20 years of legislative experience, something that could help balance Obama’s still relative lack of experience.

During this time, McCain has shown he has been willing to work across party lines to get things done. He has even spoken out against his own party when he felt that it was the right thing.

And McCain’s military experience would be an invaluable asset to Obama, perhaps even as Secretary of Defense, as the next administration will have to face a number of complex threats such as Iran and the next steps in the War on Terrorism.

Finally, Obama offering a Cabinet position to McCain would provide a major step in healing a nation that has been deeply and bitterly divided after a long, drawn-out election, and it would prove that he truly wants to unite the country, not just unite the country around him and his party.

If people would see the two former rivals working together, maybe it would inspire them not to create Facebook groups calling for Obama’s impeachment (yes, already!), but to work with other people from all over the political spectrum for a better future for all of us.

Even if Obama does not offer McCain, or another prominent Republican, a position in the Cabinet, he, his administration and the Democrats in Congress need to work with Republicans if they ever want to accomplish true change.

I woke up the morning of Nov. 5, 2008, with mixed feelings. I hope to wake up the morning of Nov. 5, 2009, feeling confident that our president and his administration are working toward uniting us all.

Valerie Hannon is a senior news-editorial journalism major from Allen.

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