Robert Stein makes the case:
If the new president is serious about Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State as he follows Lincoln’s “team of rivals” approach, Barack Obama should consider John McCain as Secretary of Defense.
When the two meet on Monday, at Obama’s suggestion it turns out, “sitting down in a serious way” to “find common ground,” the discussion might include a role for McCain in the new administration.
McCain’s maverick history makes it unlikely that Senate Republicans will look to him for leadership.
(…)
If Obama is as generous and inclusive as he appears to be, bringing both of his chief rivals for the presidency on board would be a strong signal that national unity is possible.
It sounds crazy, but then so does the idea of Hillary Clinton serving in Barack Obama’s cabinet.
November 16th, 2008 at 10:22 am
If Obama could convince McCain to join his cabinet as Secretary of Defense, he would, in a stroke, confound Karl Rove’s plans for 2012 by irrevocably dividing the conservative and liberal Republicans–and in so doing would double his own chances of re-election. Above all he would prove himself to be as good as his word–which at this time not one Republican is prepared to believe.