How John McCain Could Help a Barack Obama Administration

Is a Cabinet Position in McCain's Future?

Senator John McCain met with President Elect Barack Obama on Monday for the first time since McCain lost to Obama in the general election. The meeting was said to be about how John McCain could be of help to Barack Obama.

McCain has certainly proven a willingness to reach across the aisle, working with Democrats. The McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, which was cosponsored with Democratic Senator Russ Feingold, was a classic example of McCain's bipartisanship. McCain has also worked with Sen. Joe Lieberman, who broke with Democrats to support McCain's bid for the presidency, on a climate change bill. McCain also co-sponsored an immigration reform bill with Sen. Ted Kennedy.

John McCain's tendency to work with Democrats on issues he has cared about has proven irksome to his fellow Republicans. This discontent has been especially pronounced when the bipartisanship has been on bills like McCain-Feingold that most Republicans believed unconstitutionally restricted political speech.

Nevertheless, McCain's record of bipartisanship might position him to become a player during the Barack Obama presidency, should Obama care to make use of McCain. McCain may simply work as a Senator to shape Obama legislation to make it acceptable to enough Republicans in order to pass it in a bipartisan fashion.

There are, however, positions in an Obama administration that may be a good fit for McCain.

The first and more obvious is Secretary of Defense. McCain has, particularly because of his military service, been involved in defense issues, including reform of defense procurement, throughout his Congressional career. McCain is a defense hawk, so his appointment as Secretary of Defense would help to allay fears that the Obama administration will be weak of matters of national security. McCain would be in a position to further reforms in the way the Pentagon works, organizes the armed forces, and procures weapons and other tools the military needs to fulfill its mission.