McCain Spurning Kerry On VP Slot?

Republican Sen. John McCain has rejected John Kerry's request to consider being his running mate, dashing Democrats' hopes for a bipartisan alliance with one of the nation's most popular politicians, officials close to the talks have told The Associated Press.

Kerry and McCain have discussed the vice presidency on several occasions, with the nominee-in-waiting sketching out a scenario under which McCain could have a significant role over defense and other issues, said the officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Kerry wants his deliberations kept secret.

Despite his respect for Kerry, McCain didn't want to abandon his party and wasn't sure the idea was workable, the officials said. Thus, he told Kerry within the last two weeks there would be no need to ask him again to consider the job, they said.

The development isn't surprising, says CBS News Political Editor Dotty Lynch: "McCain has told every interviewer who's ever asked him that he's not going to do it, and he's already filed for re-election."

The Washington Post says in its Saturday editions, "Despite their friendship, the senators disagree more than they agree on issues, according to those who know them."

The Post points out that, "McCain, who is outspoken on all subjects, is concerned that policy differences, if openly discussed in office, would make his role untenable if he were to become vice president under Kerry, leading to a potential conflict that would harm the institution of the presidency."

Throughout their talks, Kerry stopped short of formally offering McCain the vice presidential nomination, sparing himself an outright rejection that would make his eventual running mate look like a second choice, officials said to the AP.

"Senator McCain categorically states that he has not been offered the vice presidency by any one," said McCain's chief of staff, Mark Salter. He would not comment on the officials' account.

Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter would only confirm that the senators had talked during the campaign, "including when Kerry called McCain to thank him for standing up and defending Kerry against baseless political attacks."

The development may lay to rest speculation that Kerry and McCain would reach across Washington's deep partisan divide and forge an unprecedented political partnership.

The notion has been rife with obstacles from the start - McCain is a strong-willed conservative and Kerry a liberal from Massachusetts who would be loath to surrender presidential responsibilities that McCain might demand.

Democrats have welcome speculation about McCain, believing the courtship alone might help Kerry position himself as a moderate.

The Post notes that, "It could be advantageous for Kerry to make known his interest, aware that McCain would turn it down, strategists say. Hailing from one of the most liberal states in the nation, Kerry has spent the general-election campaign trying to position himself as a centrist who is strong on national defense and a hawk on deficits, two positions the Bush campaign has repeatedly challenged. Kerry frequently mentions McCain in his stump speech, as a way of putting a bipartisan stamp on his work, and has included images of the two men together in his television ads."

The fellow senators and Vietnam veterans are friends, their bond sealed as they worked together to help President Clinton normalize relations with Vietnam. Clinton, who avoided service in the war, needed the political cover from Kerry, a decorated Navy veteran, and McCain, a former prisoner of war.

McCain's cool relationship with President Bush fostered Democrats' hopes, but the senator has repeatedly declared his allegiance to the GOP. McCain lost a bitter campaign against M. Bush for the 2000 Republican nomination, leaving wounds that may never heal.

McCain has said publicly he had no intention of serving as vice president, but he left the door open just enough to create a constant buzz.

Officials close to Kerry have repeatedly reached out to McCain's advisers in hopes of persuading the senator to join the ticket. Kerry has talked to McCain about the job more than once, sources said.

A GOP maverick, McCain jumped to Kerry's defense when the White House accused the Democrat of being weak on defense. "This kind of rhetoric, I think, is not helpful," he said in March, admonishing the White House.

His shoot-from-the-hip style has made McCain a favorite of many voters, particularly independents. He is a champion of campaign finance reform and critic of pork-barrel spending - two issues that antagonized his fellow lawmakers. They accuse him of being a showboat, but a politically potent one.

poll found that a hypothetical Kerry-McCain ticket had a 14-point advantage over Bush-Cheney among registered voters, 53 percent to 39 percent. That's a huge improvement over polls suggesting Kerry is tied with or slightly ahead of Bush in head-to-head match-ups.

Kerry is giving serious consideration to Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri and retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark of Arkansas - all former primary rivals - as well as Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and others.

Democrats are promoting scores of potential running mates, including Sens. Bob Graham of Florida and Evan Bayh of Indiana; former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska; and Govs. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Mark Warner of Virginia, Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania.

When Vice President Dick Cheney's political status was shaky, McCain's name emerged as a potential replacement on the GOP ticket and officials close to the senator never ruled out that possibility. Bush has since said Cheney will remain his running mate.

A new Associated Press poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Research finds that 51 percent of registered voters believe Bush should keep Cheney on his ticket, with 43 percent wanting him to pick somebody else.