Romney: No Muslims In My Cabinet
That he was even asked the question is puzzling. His answer is outright bizarre.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, asked about putting a Muslim in his presidential Cabinet, said that he “cannot see that a Cabinet position would be justified” based on the percentage of Muslims in the U.S., according to an Islamic businessman who asked the question at a fundraising reception.
Kevin Madden, Romney’s national press secretary, told Politico: “At this point, we’re not focused on what Gov. Romney’s Cabinet might look like. But the governor does not believe that in order to effectively fight radical jihad you need to have Muslims serving in the Cabinet.”
I’m not sure why anyone would think that you need a Muslim in an administration to combat Islamic extremism, anymore than you’d need a Hispanic in the cabinet to have effective immigration policy. The question itself has a rather absurd foundation.
And while Romney’s press secretary’s response makes sense, Romney seems to be talking about affirmative action for cabinet level positions. As though a President’s cabinet is supposed to reflect, in proportion, the racial makeup of America as a whole. Which doesn’t make any more sense then affirmative action in the workplace does.
Should the President not find the best people available for each cabinet position regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.? That’s the response I’d have liked to hear from Romney.
