Wednesday, November 28, 2007

JOHN MCCAIN

McCain: If Muslims Can Serve in the Armed Forces, Then...

I'll have more from McCain's conference call with bloggers in a short while, but for now, here's what he had to say on the Romney/Muslims-in-the-Cabinet controversy:

Jen Rubin: Response to Romney's comments?

McCain: My only point is we’ve got to highest and best qualified people. I’m proud of the Muslims who are currently serving in the United States armed forces, and my sense is that if they can serve in that manner, they can serve in any position of responsibility in America. If I read his appointment of a judge that he now wants to resign, under the thinking, 'we needed more women' — I just think appoint the most qualified individuals to positions of responsibility.

Question from me: Following up on Jen’s question, would a qualified Muslim in a high-level position in the next president’s cabinet be uniquely helpful for the U.S. war on terror?

McCain: You would want to call on people in the Muslim community to help in the war on terror, but the selection of individuals for positions of importance would rely on their expertise, background, and qualifications. We would be bringing in Muslim scholars, and bring in experts, just like we bring in experts on South America or climate change. You want the highest qualified person available; if that person were a Muslim, fine, if they were not a Muslim, fine.

Me: To follow up, someone like Zalmay Khalilzad, [currently U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq] , the highest ranking Muslim in the U.S. government, would a figure like that, if not that figure in particular, have a place in the McCain cabinet?

McCain: I’m sure he was selected because of his talents and qualifications as ambassador to Iraq and before that ambassador to Afghanistan.  I would argue Ambassador Crocker has been in region for long time, is highly qualified, and has his position because he's the best for the job. I don’t think the decision would rest on whether or not he's a Muslim. By that thinking in your question, we would have to have a Muslim as ambassador to Iraq, and Ambassador Crocker is as fine a qualified person as you can find, and he’s not a Muslim. That’s the point I’m making - the qualifications are enhanced by knowledge and background. Crocker understands Muslims as well as anyone in America.

11/28 12:08 PMShare