U.S. soccer goalkeeper Tim Howard did such an impressive job defending the goal during the 2014 World Cup that some people want to see him in charge of defending the entire country — as secretary of defense.
After making a notable 16 saves in the U.S.’ final match against Belgium — even though the U.S. ultimately lost that match — so enthusiastic were Mr. Howard’s supporters that they started a White House petition to encourage the president to name the soccer star to the position.
On Saturday, during his weekly address, Mr. Obama responded to the petition, saying, “I know there’s actually a petition on the White House website to make Tim Howard the next secretary of defense. Chuck Hagel’s got that spot right now, but if there is a vacancy, I promise to think about it.”
During his address, Mr. Obama gave thanks to the entire U.S. men’s soccer team, “who represented America so well the last few weeks,” but Howard was the only one who ended up with a possible future job offer.
