Herman Cain is getting roasted for comments that he would be "uncomfortable" with a Muslim cabinet member and would want such folks to be loyal to the constitution.
A few days later, Cain went on “Your World With Neil Cavuto” on Fox News.
“A reporter asked me, would I appoint a Muslim to my administration. I did say, ‘No,’” Cain said. “And here’s why. … I would have to have people totally committed to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. And many of the Muslims, they’re not totally dedicated to this country.”
That's being branded as "hateful" in a number of quarters, including a Roger Simon Politico piece that I linked to. I think Cain deserves a bit more credit there; not that he's blameless on this, but the mistakes are that of fear and ignorance.
The fear part is that Cain, like a lot of folks, is likely afraid of a Muslim fifth column that can come back to bite us; the Fort Bragg shooting by a Muslim Army psychologist would be a good poster boy for what's in Cain's craw. However, the shooter there, with a long paper trail of radical statements, would be unlikely to be a candidate for a Cain administration position.
Anyone who'd be in the hunt to be in a Cain cabinet would be far from the folks he's fearful of. I can't think of any prominent conservative American Muslims who'd be in line for such a post, so my mental mind game is to take Newt Gingrich, who became Catholic at the urging of his current wife, and make him a new Muslim convert instead.
Would a Muslim Newt be a bad choice for, say, Commerce Secretary in a Cain administration? Assume his politics didn't change in the process, at least not on the part that would effect his Commerce portfolio. The answer would be "not much worse than before."
In addition, I think all government employees have to be on board with this-
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Everyone has to affirm that, regardless of their faith or lack thereof. So, Cain isn't requiring anything that isn't already required. That's a bit of an oversight on his part, one that doesn't bode well for him. Not disqualifying, but not a selling point.
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