Obama offers to employ McCain

Obama offers to employ McCain



Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R) and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (L) shake hands after the Town Hall Presidential Debate at Belmont University's Curb Event Center October 7, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tonight's debate is the second presidential debate of three, the only one being held in the town hall style with questions coming from audience members.

By Tim Shipman in Ohio


Sunday October 12 2008

Barack Obama would like to offer John McCain a job if he becomes president, in what his allies say is an attempt to end the bitter partisan rancour that engulfed the White House race last week.

Both rivals are working to calm the increasingly incendiary atmosphere on the campaign trail, which erupted with lurid claims about Mr Obama's links with the former terrorist Bill Ayres and a lynch mob atmosphere at McCain rallies.

Democratic officials say that forming a partnership with Mr McCain would cement Mr Obama's bipartisan credentials and help rehabilitate his rival, who by his own admission "took the gloves off" last week, as polls showed Mr Obama on course for a landslide victory.

One well-connected Democrat, said: "I think we'll see Barack Obama reach out to McCain and say: let's work together."

Mr McCain will not be offered a cabinet job, but may be asked to spearhead a bipartisan overhaul of veterans' affairs, an issue close to the Republican senator's heart.

Meanwhile Mr McCain is concerned about damage to his reputation as an honest patriot. A Republican strategist, who used to work for him, said: "John knows that his reputation as a decent man is on the line but he's got devils on each shoulder telling him to hit harder."

That sentiment appeared to be behind Mr McCain's decision on Friday night to tell supporters they should be more "respectful" and insisting that his Democratic rival is "a decent family man".

He dismissed one woman's claim that Mr Obama is "an Arab" and added: "He's a person that you don't have to be scared [of] as president."

At a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, on Thursday night members of the crowd yelled "terrorist" and "liar" as Mr McCain's running mate Sarah Palin questioned Mr Obama's account of his time working on an education project in the mid 1990s with Mr Ayres, whose Weather Underground group bombed the Pentagon in the early 1970s.

One of those shouting was housewife Courtney Jenkins, 33, a mother of four.

"Obama's not good for America," she said. "I truly think it would be a travesty if he won. If he's in charge, I'll be concerned about where our tax dollars are going.

"He could send it to terrorists for all we know. It truly would be frightening. He's pro-communist."

© Telegraph

- Tim Shipman in Ohio



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I don't know where Mr Shipman got his idea that Senator McCain

Mr McCain will not be offered a cabinet job, but may be asked to spearhead a bipartisan overhaul of veterans' affairs, an issue close to the Republican senator's heart.

Senator McCain has spent his Senate career voting against veterans legislative issue's, he actively worked against the recent 2st Century G.I. Bill authored by Senator Jim Webb, he has a 20% voting record FOR veterans issue's which shows him to be at the bottom of the Senate record on issue's supporting the "troops". I as one disabled veteran would not want Senator McNasty anywhere near reworking veterans issues.

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