UF President Bernie Machen's decision to endorse John McCain is an unusual move for a university president. The job of the university president is to serve as an impartial representative of UF, not a partisan politico.
This move serves as a distraction from Machen's real job - running UF to the best of his abilities. Supporters of Democrats and other Republican candidates in Tallahassee may be less likely to work with Machen on crucial issues like UF's budget deficit after this public endorsement.
Democratic donors might think twice before cooperating so readily with UF's Florida Tomorrow fundraising campaign.
Machen cites McCain's immigration policy as particularly impressive. If anything should have swayed the president's choice, it should have been a candidate's commitment to education. It's important to remember that President Machen speaks only for himself with this endorsement, not for UF as a whole. Students should still make an informed, independent decision on the candidate they support, and then vote for that person on Election Day.
