By Michael Kennedy

 

Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain spoke to a crowd of 800 at Cardinal Arena, before dedicating the archives of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao at the Ekstrom Library. McConnell and Chao joined McCain throughout the morning’s activities.
At the event in Cardinal Arena on Thursday, Nov. 11, on Veterans Day, McCain focused his speech on veterans, and on his experiences in Vietnam. McCain was a prisoner in a Vietnamese prison for five years during the Vietnam War. He referred to the current military as the “finest military we have ever had.” At a question and answer session after his speech, McCain spoke about the recent shootings at Fort Hood.
“We ought to make sure political correctness never impedes national security,” McCain said, to much applause.
He went on to describe the shootings as “an act of terror.” 
Later he called on President Barack Obama to make a decision about how many resources to send to Afghanistan, saying half-measures are even more dangerous than a complete troop removal.
Following the event in Cardinal Arena, McCain, McConnell, Chao, University of Louisville President Dr. James R. Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz dedicated the Senator Mitch McConnell and Secretary Elaine L. Chao Archives and Civic Education Gallery in the basement of the Ekstrom Library.
“Today is a special day in the life of the University of Louisville,” Ramsey said.
In a press release, U of L said the McConnell-Chao archives cost $3.6 million and are 2,000 square feet. Chao said it chronicles her path to become the first Asian-American woman in the cabinet of a U.S. president. In her speech, she thanked her father for taking a risk and coming to America from Taiwan, and told about how her family sailed over on a cargo ship.
In McConnell’s remarks at the archive dedication, he referred to Chao as the “love of my life” and a “remarkable American.” He also said he hopes the archives will educate people about the importance of Congress and the two-party system.
“Elaine and I share a life, and now we share an archive,” McConnell said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Although, if this place turns out anything like our closet space at home, I might end up with the short end of the stick.”
The McConnell-Chao archives will be open to the public tomorrow, and will be open daily with the same hours as the Ekstrom Library.