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McCain would banish political office from White House |
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By Aaron Blake
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Posted: 09/21/08 08:02 PM [ET] |
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GOP presidential nominee John McCain said he would remove political advisers like Karl Rove from the White House in an effort to separate politics from the president’s daily duties.
In an interview aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes Sunday night, McCain took a big step away from the President Bush, who has kept political advice close at hand.
“I would move the political office out of the White House and into the Republican National Committee,” McCain said. “I think we’ve got to have a White House that is without politics.
Pressed on how big a change that would represent, McCain suggested the new political environment and economic problems demand such a move.
“It’s time to show the American people that politics will not be part of this massive effort we’re going to have to go on to restore our nation’s economy,” McCain said.
McCain also suggested he would cut spending within certain areas of the Defense Department. He didn’t say he would cut the department’s budget overall, but said there are plenty of things that he could “scrubbed.”
“I think there’s areas in Defense where we can save a lot of money in cost overruns,” McCain said. Asked in what other ways he differs from Bush, McCain had a ready list: spending, the Iraq war, climate change, treatment of prisoners and his support for the 9/11 Commission. “There is a large number of issues that I have stood up to my party -- not just the White House,” McCain said. |
