Last updated: October 8, 2008. Click here for the Obama list [1].
FOREIGN POLICY/ NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISORS
Mark Salter
Salter is considered McCain’s closest aide – characterized by Newsweek as “his speechwriter, former Senate chief of staff, coauthor, biographer and closest adviser.” They have worked together for nearly two decades.
Full bio
Source:
“The Story of His Life,” [2] Newsweek, July 19, 2008
“John McCain’s War Cabinet,” [3] The Wonk Room, March 17, 2008
Randy Scheunemann
Director of Foreign Policy & National Security, John McCain, 2008
Former National security aide to then-Senate Majority Leaders Bob Dole and Trent Lott, former consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and founder of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq (CLI).
Full bio [4]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Dr. Kori Schake
Senior Defense Advisor on the McCain 2008 Presidential campaign. On a leave of absence from a research fellowship at the Hoover Institution, and as Bradley Professor of International Security Studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Also has served at State Department’s Office of Policy Planning.
Full bio [7]
Source:
“ICYMI: McCain Campaign Conference Call On Barack Obama's Iraq Position,” [8] JohnMcCain.com, July 14, 2008
"DC event [9], Randy Scheunemann and Kori Schake, John McCain 2008 (Campaign Series)" [9] at the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy website
Richard Fontaine
Legislative Assistant for Senator McCain on Foreign Affairs, and former Associate Director at the National Security Council.
Full Bio [10]
Source:
"McCain campaign adviser: Ideals will win War on Terror," [11]Talk Radio News Service, May 29, 2008
Lorne W. Craner
President of the International Republican Institute, former Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor for Secretary of State Colin Powell
Full bio [12]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
Stephen E. Biegun
Former national security aide to then-Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and now Ford Motors Vice President of International Government Affairs
Full bio [13]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Richard Lee Armitage, President of Armitage International; Deputy Secretary of State in the George W. Bush Administration and an international business consultant
Full bio [14]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
Robert Kagan
Senior Associate with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington Post columnist and former speechwriter for then-secretary of state George P. Shultz
Full bio [15]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Gen. Jack Keane
Retired Army general and co-author of GW Bush's "surge" strategy for Iraq
Full bio [16]
Source:
"Whom the Candidates Listen to on Iraq" [17] U.S. News and World Report, March 28, 2008
Max Boot
Senior Fellow for National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations editor and former Wall Street Journal editorial editor
Full bio [18]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
Michael J. Green
Former Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. Now Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Associate Professor at
Full bio [19]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Obama McCain Advisers for China and Asia. Know Them?” [20] Thomas Crampton blog, June 20, 2008
Randall Schriver
Founding partner at Armitage International, LLC, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs in President George W. Bush's administration
Full bio [21]
Source:
“McCain adviser says new president will face heavy pressure to drop Taiwan weapons freeze,” [22] The China Post, July 17, 2008
Ambassador Richard R. Burt
Senior Advisor at Kissinger McLarty Associates and senior advisor to the Carlyle Group, a private equity investment firm, and former U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1985 to 1989.
Full bio [23]
Source:
"NY Times: McCain Vows To Work With Russia on Arms," [24] JohnMcCain.com, May 27, 2008
James A. Baker III
Honorary Chair at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and Secretary of State from 1989-1992.
Full bio [25]
Source:
"'Like Bush, I'd like `Guantánamo to end'" [26] The Miami Herald, May 7, 2008
“James Baker to Endorse McCain,” [27] CBS News, February 28, 2008
William L. Ball III
Secretary of the Navy during Reagan Administration and managing director of the Loeffler Group
Full bio [28]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain Advisers Lobbied for Europeans to Win Air Force Tanker Deal,” [29] The New York Times, March 12, 2008
Richard Williamson
Full bio [30]
Source:
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Maj. Ralph Peters
Writer and retired Army officer.
Full bio
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“John McCain’s War Cabinet,” [3] The Wonk Room, March 17, 2008
Dan Blumenthal
Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and former senior director for
Full bio [31]
Source:
“Obama McCain Advisers for China and Asia. Know Them?” [20] Thomas Crampton blog, June 20, 2008
Brig. Gen. Tom Bruner
Full bio
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Why Veterans Support John McCain,” [32] Military.com
Lawrence S. Eagleburger
President George H.W. Bush’s Secretary of State and a Senior Public Policy Adviser with law firm Baker Donelson,.
Full bio [33]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Foreign Policy: 2 Camps Seek McCain’s Ear,” [34] The New York Times, August 1, 2008
Niall Ferguson
Harvard historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow
Full bio [35]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Clinton Backer Concedes Obama Will Take the Prize,” [36] National Post, May 27, 2008
Gen. Alexander M. Haig, Jr
Secretary of State in the Reagan Administration, Chairman of Worldwide Associates Inc., endorsed McCain April 10, 2007
Full bio [37]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“John McCain Wins Catholic Support Nationwide,” [38] JohnMcCain.com, March 10, 2008
Frederick W. Kagan
American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar and reportedly co-author of GW Bush's "surge" strategy for Iraq
Full bio [39]
Source:
"Whom the Candidates Listen to on Iraq" [17] U.S. News and World Report, March 28, 2008
Henry A. Kissinger
Secretary of State in the Nixon and Ford Administrations; met McCain in Vietnam and is now a consultant
Full bio [40]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
William Kristol
Editor of The Weekly Standard, informal foreign policy adviser to the campaign
Full bio [41]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Adm. Charles Larson
Former Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy and now Chairman of consulting firm ViaGlobal Group
Full bio [42]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5]
“Terror Strike Would Help McCain, Top Adviser Says,” [43]
John Lehman
Foreign and Defense Policy Advisor to John McCain 2008
Chairman of J.F. Lehman and Co.
Full bio [44]
Source:
"America Abroad Media Town Hall Meeting: "Foreign Policy and the Presidential Election: America's Image Problem" [45], American University Radio, April 7, 2008
Robert "Bud" McFarlane
National Security Adviser in the Reagan Administration and now a principal with Energy & Communications Solutions
Full bio [46]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“McCain Campaign Launches Truth Squad to Counter Attacks on John McCain’s Military Record,” [47], JohnMcCain.com
James R. Schlesinger
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mitre Corporation, Chairman of the Advisory Council for the National Interest [48]; Secretary of Defense in the Nixon and Ford Administrations, Energy and National Security Adviser to the campaign
Full bio [49]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Woolsey Joins McCain Camp as Security Adviser,” [50] The Hill, April 3, 2007
Former Staff Director of the Senate Intelligence Committee and now an American Enterprise Institute scholar
Full bio [51]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“John McCain’s War Cabinet,” [3] The Wonk Room, March 17, 2008
Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft
National Security Adviser to Presidents Ford and George H.W. Bush and founder of business consultancy the Scowcroft Group
Full bio [52]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5] Washington Post, October 2, 2007
“Two Camps Trying to Influence McCain on Foreign Policy,” [53] The
George P. Shultz
President Reagan’s Secretary of State and a Hoover Institution Fellow.
Full bio [54]
Source:
"The War Over the Wonks," [5]
Ruth Wedgewood
Director of the International Law and Organizations Program at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (
Full bio [55]
"The War Over the Wonks," [5]
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
R. James Woolsey
Former CIA Director and now Vice President at consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton
Full bio [56]
Source:
"Press Release [57]," American Society of International Law, March 24, 2008
"The War Over the Wonks," [5]
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
FOREIGN ECONOMIC POLICY ADVISORS
Douglas Holtz-Eakin
We presume Holtz-Eakin’s focus is primarily domestic, but we include him in this list as he has been reported to be McCain’s chief economic policy advisor.
Policy Director, McCain 08, President of DHE Consulting, LLC, former director of the Congressional Budget Office (2003–05), chief economist in the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (2001–02) and senior staff economist in President George H. W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers (1989–90).
Full bio [58]
Source:
"Candidate's Economic Adviser's Take Center Stage" [59] at
"ECO:nomics: Presidential Energy Advisers" [60]Grist, March 15, 2008
Phil Levy
Resident Scholar for the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Former Senior Economist for Trade on the President's Council of Economic Advisers
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Ken Rogoff
Professor of Economics, Harvard University and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, and former Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Full bio [62]
Source:
"Candidate's Economic Adviser's Take Center Stage" [59] at Kiplinger Business Resource Center, March 5, 2008
“McCain’s Brain Trust,” [6] Newsweek, June 30, 2008
Pete Peterson
Chairman of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Chairman and Co-founder of the Blackstone Group, Former Secretary of Commerce, ex-Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and former CEO of Lehman Brothers
Full bio [63]
Source:
"Candidate's Economic Adviser's Take Center Stage" [59] at Kiplinger Business Resource Center, March 5, 2008
Michael Moore
Professor Of Economics and International Affairs, George Washington University
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Anne Krueger
Professor At The Johns Hopkins School Of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and former First Deputy Managing Director, IMF
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Tim Kane
Director, Center for International Trade and Economics, Heritage Foundation
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Juan Buttari
Independent Consultant And Researcher In Development Economics
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Dr. John Taylor
Professor Of Economics At Stanford, Senior Fellow At The Hoover Institution & Former Under Secretary Of Treasury
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Anthony Villamil
Chief Executive Officer, The Washington Economics Group, Inc. and Former Under Secretary Of Commerce For Economic Affairs
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Sean O'Keefe
Former Secretary Of The Navy, NASA Administrator, & Deputy Director Of Office of Management & Budget, The White House
Full bio
Source:
"Senator McCain Announces Economic Advisors" [61] McCain 08, July 12, 2007
Links:
[1] http://www.connectusfund.org/obama
[2] http://www.newsweek.com/id/147768
[3] http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/03/17/mccain-advisers/
[4] http://www.newamericancentury.org/randyscheunemannbio.htm
[5] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/documents/the-war-over-the-wonks.html
[6] http://www.newsweek.com/id/139898/page/3
[7] http://www.hoover.org/bios/schake.html
[8] http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/News/PressReleases/c9715629-efe8-42f7-9d9f-9e1a9be9f72b.htm
[9] http://www.ypfp.org/dc_event_randy_scheunemann_and_kori_schake_john_mccain_2008_campaign_series
[10] http://www.linkedin.com/pub/3/851/9b7
[11] http://talkradionews.com/tag/richard-fontaine/
[12] http://www.iri.org/Bio_Craner.asp
[13] http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=18269
[14] http://www.armitageinternational.com/team/member.php?id=1
[15] http://www.carnegieendowment.org/experts/index.cfm?fa=expert_view&expert_id=16
[16] http://www.jhuapl.edu/POW/bios/keane.htm
[17] http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/campaign-2008/2008/03/28/whom-the-candidates-listen-to-on-iraq.html
[18] http://www.cfr.org/bios/5641/
[19] http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_experts/task,view/id,297/
[20] http://www.thomascrampton.com/china/obama-mccain-advisors-for-china-and-asia-know-them/
[21] http://www.armitageinternational.com/team/member.php?id=5
[22] http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign affairs/2008/07/17/165976/McCain-adviser.htm
[23] http://www.iiss.org/about-us/regional-offices/washington/board-of-directors/ambassador-richard-burt/
[24] http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/NewsReleases/332066b4-4f71-45d1-b258-a8feb0e16be1.htm
[25] http://www.bakerinstitute.org/personnel/honorary-chair/jbaker/chair_view
[26] http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/523916.html
[27] http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/02/28/politics/fromtheroad/entry3886269.shtml
[28] http://www.loefflerllp.com/TLG/ourpeople_1.asp?id=106
[29] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/us/politics/12tanker.html
[30] http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/99122.htm
[31] http://www.aei.org/scholars/filter.,scholarID.92/scholar.asp
[32] http://electioncenter.military.com/2008/06/why-veterans--2.html
[33] http://www.state.gov/secretary/former/40402.htm
[34] http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B06E4DA1F3BF933A25757C0A96E9C8B63
[35] http://www.hoover.org/bios/ferguson.html
[36] http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=542068
[37] http://www.benadorassociates.com/haig.php
[38] http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/news/PressReleases/4e3a4cc1-466c-4d4b-b0b3-ea54d673228a.htm
[39] http://www.aei.org/scholars/scholarID.99/scholar.asp
[40] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger
[41] http://www.weeklystandard.com/aboutus/bio_kristol.asp
[42] http://www.viafinance.com/9.html
[43] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/23/AR2008062301979.html
[44] http://www.johnflehman.com/profile/index.html
[45] http://wamu.org/calendar/08/america_abroad_media_town_hall_meeting.php
[46] http://www.psaonline.org/userdata_display.php?modin=51&uid=20
[47] http://www.johnmccain.com/truthsquad/
[48] http://www.nationalinterest.org/General.aspx?id=76
[49] http://www.mitre.org/about/bot/schlesinger.html
[50] http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/woolsey-joins-mccain-camp-as-security-adviser-2007-04-23.html
[51] http://www.aei.org/scholars/scholarID.103/scholar.asp
[52] http://www.scowcroft.com/html/staff/scowcroft.html
[53] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/10/us/politics/10mccain.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
[54] http://www.hoover.org/bios/shultz.html
[55] http://apps.sais-jhu.edu/faculty_bios/faculty_bio1.php?ID=57
[56] http://fpadvisors.wetpaint.com/page/R. James Woolsey Booz Allen
[57] http://www.asil.org/pdfs/pressreleases/pr080324.pdf
[58] http://www.iie.com/staff/author_bio.cfm?author_id=508
[59] http://www.kiplinger.com/businessresource/forecast/archive/economic_advisers_take_center_stage_080325.html
[60] http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/3/14/221425/110
[61] http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/268A0478-50CE-4CB2-8A27-9C74C8FCC8A4.htm
[62] http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/rogoff/Biography_Rogoff
[63] http://www.concordcoalition.org/board/bios/peterson.html