Carly Fiorina, new face of McCain campaign

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Carly Fiorina is quickly becoming the new face of John McCain's campaign.

Once considered the most powerful businesswoman in the United States, Fiorina has evolved from the Republican presidential candidate's top economic adviser to a catch-all advocate and attack dog on a range of subjects from women's issues to the Iraq war.

It's a far cry from the corporate boardroom but the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive appears to be in her element and the Arizona senator clearly likes it that way.

Thus the question: if McCain wins the White House, where will Fiorina end up?

"It is John McCain's decision as to who he puts in his cabinet or who he puts on his ticket or anything else," Fiorina told Reuters in an interview. "I'll trust him to make the right decision."

That sounds like she's interested.

"Of course, it would be an honor for anyone to serve John McCain. But I'm really focused on helping the American people get to know him a little better," she said.

With regular television appearances, town hall meetings and conference calls with reporters, Fiorina is such a visible presence on McCain's behalf that Barack Obama, his Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, is taking her on directly.

The Illinois senator accused her last week of distorting his tax plans. His campaign has highlighted the layoffs she presided over as Hewlett-Packard's chief executive, as well as the hefty compensation package she received when she was forced out.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement it was "too bad" the McCain camp did not see a perception problem with Fiorina "who presided over thousands of layoffs at Hewlett-Packard while receiving a $21 million severance package and $650,000 in mortgage assistance."

THE CEO

Fiorina became the head of Hewlett-Packard Co. in 1999 and in 2002 oversaw the then-largest merger in the U.S. technology sector when the company bought rival computer maker Compaq Computer Corp. HP's poor performance forced her exit as chairman and chief executive in 2005.

She says she is proud of her tenure at HP and her compensation package has been deliberately misconstrued.

"The facts of my severance package are that it was $14 million," she said. "All aspects of my compensation, including my severance package, were approved by and voted on by shareholders."

That's important for political reasons. McCain has criticized excessive CEO pay and severance, saying his White House would push for reforms that required shareholder approval of compensation packages.