There's been lots of buzz that Sen. John McCain is considering business leaders for his vice presidential pick: FedEx's Frederick Smith, former eBay boss Meg Whitman, or former Hewlett-Packard head Carly Fiorina. Well now one sounds like she wants the post. Fiorina, now head of the Republican National Committee's Victory Committee, said she wouldn't mind being in his cabinet either. "There are many, many people who would be honored to serve in McCain's cabinet, and depending on the opportunity, I would be as well," she says. "One of the great things about my life right now is I have lots of options and lots of opportunities, and I have learned that if you're open to options and opportunities, the future tends to take care of itself. So I'm not really worried about what's next."
At issue: Many GOP strategists say it's crazy for McCain or Sen. Barack Obama to pick a nonpolitician to run for office. They worry that business execs, who are normally protected from the media and stockholders, will crumble under the pressure of an intense campaign. But Fiorina said that business leaders have a lot in common with politicians, at least when it comes to running big organizations. What's more, she said that business leaders often have far better success. Take the issue of running over budget. Fiorina said that while politicians might talk cuts and freezes, CEOs have no choice but to cut costs and freeze wages or hiring. "I think there are some things that government can borrow from business," she says.
As for her chances to get on the McCain ticket, Fiorina describes herself as more than a simple former tech executive. She's been involved in debating a wide variety of government policies for the past three years and, of course, now runs the GOP fundraising and get-out-the-vote effort on behalf of McCain.
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