McCain on Potential Cabinet Members
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- John McCain stumped today in the Palmetto State and spoke at Alex's BBQ restaurant here and took questions from the audience; one woman said she was a registered Democrat but said she wanted him to be the next president. She wanted to know how he would select his cabinet and she could be ensured that he would be surrounded by the best people and not crooks.
McCain jokingly asked her to come on the road with him and said, "Some of our best friends are Democrats, we thank you so much." McCain then offered up names such as Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and FedEx founder Fred Smith, as examples of the types of people he wants to reach out to. (Both are co-chairs of McCain's National Finance Committee, incidentally.
"I'm going to get the best and brightest in the country whether it's in the business or education and I am going to ask them to serve a cause greater than themselves." He said the free enterprise system needed to be involved to help put government back on a business basis so we are not wasting tax payers' money, "Never again will we have a disaster in Louisiana and a truck full of ice ends up in Maine." McCain said he would ask these successful people to pay their country back and work for a dollar a year.
About 200 people attended today's event, which was way more than the campaign had originally planned for.
McCain campaign staffer Keith Nehigian told CBS News that today's venues were all selected before McCain's New Hampshire primary victory and the event had to be moved out to the parking lot at the last minute because so many people showed up. The campaign provided speakers to those who chose to stay inside the restaurant.