Thune Says He's Out Of The GOP VP Sweepstakes

(DENVER) South Dakota Senator John Thune today said he is out of the mix to become John McCain's vice presidential selection, the AP reports. Thune said he had not given any personal documents or information to the campaign of the kind used for vetting potential running mates. "I've talked to (the McCain campaign) a little bit about the issue but certainly not about me being in that mix," he said. "I would say I'm out of the running."

Thune was seen by some political watchers as a potential fall-back choice to help soothe concerns about conservatives in the Republican Party who are watching McCain's selection process very carefully. Many conservatives has strong negative reactions to the suggestion by the candidate last week that he would not rule out a running mate who is a supporter of abortion rights, but a New York Times column by Bill Kristol today floated the idea of picking Senator Joe Lieberman. If McCain were to pick Lieberman, he could risk a backlash at his convention next week.