Postcards

How the power players do it - by Fortune senior editor at large Patricia Sellers

Meg and Carly, McCain's other key women

September 4, 2008: 12:35 PM ET

Keeping it brief today. Jessica and I are heading to the U.S. Open. Ilana Kloss, the CEO of World TeamTennis, invited us. We're hoping Billie Jean King, who co-founded and helps run WTT, is with us too. Btw, check out BJK's Guest Post -- and a piece I wrote about her odd connections to some of Fortune's Most Powerful Women.

Speaking of MPWomen, did you see the Republican convention last night? Sarah Palin had the starring role, but before Sarah and Mitt and Rudy (Romney and Guiliani, that is) came two women who ruled Fortune's Power list for eight years. First up last night: Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay (EBAY) who is now co-chairing John McCain's presidential campaign. She was classically Meg: plainspoken and down-to-earth (and  she looked great). Former Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) CEO Carly Fiorina, who chairs McCain's so-called Victory campaign, was loftier, vying for electricity. "I know John McCain...," she kept repeating, a few too many times.

As I told you a couple of weeks ago, I ran into Whitman at eBay (she'd popped in for a surprise birthday party for an exec). And though I didn't ask her about her future, I'd bet serious money that she and Fiorina -- who didn't knew each other very well when they were CEOs in Silicon Valley -- will face off for the Republican nomination in the 2010 California governor's race. (Hasta la vista, Arnold.)

Unless McCain wins the Presidency, that is. If he makes it to the White House, both women will likely land key positions in his administration. My political sources say that Whitman, 52, could be McCain's pick for Commerce Secretary or U.S. Trade Representative. Makes sense, since she built the world's largest online marketplace practically from scratch. And Fiorina, who is 54, could be appointed ambassador to the United Nations or president of the World Bank. Bob Zoellick, the current World Bank head, is close to McCain and a natural choice to be Secretary of State.

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About This Author
Pattie Sellers
Patricia Sellers
Senior Editor at Large, Fortune
Executive Director of MPW/Live Content, Time Inc.

Fortune senior editor at large Pattie Sellers has written some of Fortune's most talked-about cover stories, including "Marissa Mayer: Ready to Rumble at Yahoo," "Oprah's Next Act," "Can Meg Whitman Save California?" "The $100 Billion Woman" (Melinda Gates), and "Remodeling Martha" (Martha Stewart). She has helped oversee Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business" package every year since its launch in 1998. Pattie is Executive Director of the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, the preeminent gathering of women leaders in business and beyond. She oversees MPW programs that enable women leaders to extend their influence and empower the next generation—such as Fortune MPW Entrepreneurs and the Fortune-U.S. State Department Global Women Leaders Mentoring Partnership. Beyond her Fortune duties, she is also developing Live Content across Time Inc. Pattie grew up in Allentown, PA, graduated from the University of Virginia, and started at Fortune in 1984. Her blog, Postcards, is about how power players lead, manage others, and navigate their careers.

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The Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women Leaders Mentoring Partnership brings rising-star women from countries around the world to the U.S. for three-week mentorships with participants of the annual Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit - among them Ursula Burns of Xerox, Laura Lang of Time Inc., Marissa Mayer of Yahoo, and Tory Burch.

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