President-elect Barack Obama met with his former foe, U.S. Sen. John McCain, today in Chicago.

The two made nice and discussed ways they could “come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time,” according to a statement made after the meeting.

“It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family,” they said.

Since his loss Nov. 4, a lot has been made about what McCain does now. Senate Republicans are a smaller minority than they were before his loss, and at least a few of his colleagues blame McCain—at least, in part—for the GOP’s tumble.

Most of the focus about potential Obama-McCain partnerships has centered around how McCain can help shepherd Obama’s legislative initiatives on which the two have common ground through Congress.

But maybe there’s something else out there for McCain.

Throughout the campaign, Obama took every opportunity to praise McCain’s military service, calling him a patriot who had made great sacrifices for the freedoms Americans enjoy.

How cool would it be if Obama tapped McCain to head the Department of Veterans Affairs? (Here’s the bio page for the current secretary in the Bush Administration.)

It would give McCain an opportunity to care for and improve services for the veterans of this country, many of whom he served with in Vietnam—and ensure that the new generation of veterans produced by the wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan don’t suffer the same mistreatment and failed services that World War II- and Vietnam-era veterans have.

I haven’t heard anyone mention it as a possibility, probably because the Arizona Senate seat McCain would vacate would be filled by an appointment by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano. She would certainly choose a Democrat, and that would further minimize Republicans—and possibly even push Democrats to the 60-vote threshhold they need to break Republican filibusters.

Still, it’s a nice thought. 

Have you heard about the questionnaire the Obama transition team has worked up for potential administration hires?

It’s possibly the most comprehensive document ever given to non-intelligence government employees.

And if you want a job with the Obama Administration, we hope you keep good records. They want a copy of every resume and biographical statement that has been issued by you or on yor behalf over the past 10 years.

Do you now or have you ever kept a diary? Turn it over.

Ever shack up or live-in with a romantic liaison? Uncle Barack and Uncle Rahm want to hear all about them.

Facebook? MySpace? Obama wants to be your “friend.”

Do you own a gun? Does any member of your family own a gun? The president-elect wants to know about it.

On that last point, the Obama team’s curiosity has raised the hackles of gun-rights advocates, who make no bones about their distaste for the transition team’s reach into what they consider an individual right.

Although he’s been squishy on it in the past, after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision earlier this year recognized for the first time that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to bear arms, Obama said he agreed with the Court’s decision and that gun ownership was an individual right.

Obama also believes that abortion is an individual right. When Obama spoke to a Planned Parenthood gathering during the campaign last year, he said that the “first thing I’d do as president” (1:31) would be to sign the “Freedom of Choice Act,” legislation recognizing an individual right to abortion. Pro-life advocates say FOCA would supersede any and all state restrictions on abortion.

SIDEBAR: The irony of that position is that pro-choice advocates often oppose abortion restrictions at the federal level because they believe abortion regulations should be left to the states to decide. But then they support FOCA, which would undermine those very regulations at the state level. END SIDEBAR

Go with me on this for a minute. If Obama believes that gun ownership is an individual right, and Obama believes that abortion is an individual right, then while he’s inquiring about their gun ownership, why isn’t he also asking potential employees whether they have had an abortion?

Ridiculous, isn’t it?

You can read the extremely thorough job application here.

One more thing: I’d like to see this application filled out by the president-elect himself.

... And I wonder what it will look like once Hillary is done with it. 

Want to know why I’ll never be president?

Barack Obama is learning about it right now.

Lose the Blackberry?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

For anyone who’s ever carried one, life without a Blackberry is ... well, hardly like life at all.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But not by much.