"John Kerry is a close friend of mine... Obviously I would entertain it... But I see no scenario where that would happen." --John McCain on Good Morning America, 3/10/04
By the way, McCain is the Chair of Bush's Arizona campaign and in 2000 absolutely ruled out being Bush's VP. I don't think it would be particularly good thing to have Kerry/McCain, but I love McCain screwing with Bush and Rove.
Sen. McCain open to being Kerry's VP 3/10/2004 WASHINGTON -- Republican Sen. John McCain allowed a glimmer of hope Wednesday for Democrats fantasizing about a bipartisan dream team to defeat President Bush. McCain said he would consider the unorthodox step of running for vice president on the Democratic ticket -- in the unlikely event he received such an offer from the presidential candidate. "John Kerry is a close friend of mine. We have been friends for years," McCain said Wednesday when pressed to squelch speculation about a Kerry-McCain ticket. "Obviously I would entertain it." But McCain emphasized how unlikely the whole idea was. "It's impossible to imagine the Democratic Party seeking a pro-life, free-trading, non-protectionist, deficit hawk," the Arizona senator told ABC's "Good Morning America" during an interview about illegal steroid use. "They'd have to be taking some steroids, I think, in order to let that happen." McCain gained a reputation as a party maverick who appeals to independent voters during his 2000 race against Bush for the Republican nomination. This year, McCain has campaigned for the president and said he would continue to do so. Unlike some other Republican senators, he hasn't railed against Kerry, a fellow Vietnam veteran. McCain called the Kerry-Bush contest "the nastiest campaign so far that we have seen" and said he preferred campaigning for candidates instead of against their opponents.
if mccain would join the kerry ticket, all of my reservations wrt kerry go away. if not as vp, i would not be surprised if mccain is offered a cabinet position if kerry wins.
Trippy. I didn't think there was any chance of it. That was just short of, "I want it!!!". McCain has issues I disagree with, but if he insures Kerry's victory over Bush, then Bush isn't President. I like that.
McCain would be a strong draw on independents. McCain might push the progressives into Nader's corner (but I will be very surprised if Nader lets himself be a real factor in this election).
I dunno. I consider myself a very progressive liberal, but I admire John McCain more than just about any politician out there. If anything, I think McCain might *help* Kerry's chances with progressives.
I am not progressive, but am currently planning to vote for Nader, unless McCain is Kerry's VP. Bring It On.
i'm not sure they want McCain as VP, but I'm sure anything that embarasses Bush is just fine with the Kerry campaign. And make no mistake about it, this hurts Bush big time.
Why would you vote for Nader? What's the point? Granted we live in Texas and voting as Yellow Dog democrat is as useful as lipstick on a pig, but I still don't get it...
it'd be hard to find to more ideologically opposite candidates than McCain and Kerry. btw, rim, it'd help if you included links to the articles you post, or at least didn't delete their provenance. some times it's nice to have a look at the ur text.
I refuse to waste my vote. GWB obviously stands for whatever his campaign contributers want. Kerry unlike GWB at least makes an effort to appear less beholden to his campaign contributers. In the end, I am unsure that Kerry would always keep America's best interest at heart versus kowtowing to special interests.
Sorry, I missed the last line... © Copyright 2004 Associated Press. Here's a link... http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/03/10/sen_mccain_open_to_being_kerrys_vp?mode=PF
Craig Crawford's latest column has his handicapping of the veepstakes. Some thoughts: - What does Edwards' ability to raise trial lawyer money have to do with anything? It's not like those guys will give to Bush if Edwards isn't on the ticket. - I've been saying Bayh was a strong contender from Day One ... - I'll take tweny bucks on Graham at 24-1. - Mary Landrieu -- interesting. First I'd her mentioned. - Note the bit about southern states targeted by Kerry: AR, FL, TN, WV, and LA. March 11, 2004 An Initial Handicapping of Kerry's Veepstakes By Craig Crawford, CQ Columnist Not so fast, John McCain. It is wrong to tease us in the morning with talk of running on the Democratic presidential ticket and then deny it all in the afternoon. At the very least, the Arizona Republican could give us a full news cycle to dream of lazy afternoons in a Phoenix spa "covering" such an historic candidacy. "I would entertain it," McCain said the morning of March 10, when asked about running with fellow senator John Kerry. But hours later his spokesman flatly ruled it out, saying "Sen. McCain will not be a candidate for vice president in 2004." Denials be damned. The flirtation, no matter how brief, earns McCain a posting in Trail Mix Handicapper, Veepstakes edition No. 1. Sen. John Edwards, N.C. Odds: 3-2 (Chance to be running mate: 40 percent) Buzz: If only he had been born in more states, we might be talking about Kerry as his running mate. But alas, he only won the primary in his native South Carolina. Money: Like flowing water, those big bucks from trial lawyers must go somewhere. Edwards could bundle up a few million for the ticket, at least. Geography: If a Southern accent wins Dixie, then he could be Kerry's man. But could he carry his current home, North Carolina? Chemistry: They are not chums. As Kerry watched Edwards attack him in the final debates, he seemed to be choking down a mouthful of sawdust without butter. Sen. Evan Bayh, Ind. Odds: 4-1 (Chance to be running mate: 20 percent) Buzz: The late-breaking favorite around political water coolers, he's a twofer: a former governor and a senator who maintained high public approval in both jobs. Money: Raised $4.1 million for his waltz into his Senate seat in 1998. Geography: Indiana's Republican dominance makes it as red as a red state can be. Forcing President Bush to spend money and effort to secure its 11 electoral votes could be delicious mischief for the Democrats. Chemistry: The perfectly-groomed Bayh could give Kerry tips on how to comb his hair and not look so French. Gov. Mark Warner, Va. Odds: 6-1 (Chance to be running mate: 14 percent) Buzz: Hardly a hot item in lead paragraphs for running-mate speculation stories, but a good bet as a dark horse for his Southern roots and business background. Another plus: He's not in the Senate. Money: Worth at least $300 million thanks to winning the lottery in the cell phone business. Geography: Refined and well educated, he embodies the New South, but he is not comfortable with animal metaphors and other traditional down-home appeals that win Dixie. Chemistry: Their reserved and thoughtful styles are almost interchangeable. Rep. Richard A. Gephardt, Mo. Odds: 9-1 (Chance to be running mate: 10 percent) Buzz: Establishment Democrats give him the Purple Heart of politics for taking Howard Dean (along with himself) out of the running on Jan. 19 in the Iowa caucuses. Gephardt's harsh, last-minute television advertising wounded the former Vermont governor, but it also turned voters against his own campaign. Money: He would be lucky to raise enough to fuel his own campaign plane. Geography: If he really can deliver Missouri and the Midwest, raise those odds. Chemistry: Their shared wonkery would make them comfortable in each other's skin. Sen. Bob Graham, Fla. Odds: 24-1 (Chance to be running mate: 4 percent) Buzz: It is ironic that notebook-toting media honchos think he's nuts because he meticulously records daily events in a notebook. Money: Fundraising was supposed to be his strong suit, but his short-lived presidential campaign last year barely raised enough to sponsor a NASCAR driver. Geography: One word: Florida. Democrats would count on its 27 electoral votes this time. Chemistry: When these two get together, their idea of wild partying is an especially tedious bill markup. Sen. John McCain, Ariz. Odds: 24-1 (Chance to be running mate: 4 percent) Buzz: It is the news media's dream ticket for nonstop stories. Covering McCain's bid for the Republican nomination in 2000 was more fun than the campaigns of Howard Dean and Al Sharpton combined. Money: So pure, he would have to attack himself if he raised any money. Geography: Add Arizona to the states Al Gore won in 2000 and Kerry needs just one more electoral vote to win — without a single southern state. Chemistry: If they say they love each other one more time, they'll have to get hitched in San Francisco. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, N.Y. Odds: 30-1 (Chance to be running mate: 3 percent) Buzz: Conventional wisdom totally dismisses this idea; Handicapper cannot let go. Money: She could raise enough to buy Teresa's ketchup shares. Geography: Color the Democratic base states royal blue if she's on board. Kerry could then focus on independent purple states. Chemistry: He would need a food taster. Gov. Bill Richardson, N.M. Odds: 30-1 (Chance to be running mate: 3 percent) Buzz: Hispanic descent puts him in play; could secure 2004's hot demographic target. Money: May have learned some tricks from those years in the Clinton administration. Geography: If he can add Arizona to his native New Mexico, these odds are too low. Chemistry: Chong to Kerry's Cheech? Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, La. Odds: 50-1 (Chance to be running mate: 2 percent) Buzz: She impressed politicos by whipping Bush, Air Force One and White House political guru Karl Rove in the vicious runoff that resulted in her 2002 re-election. Money: Like most VP hopefuls, she would have to leave this department to Kerry. Geography: Could deliver one of the five Southern states Kerry reportedly is targeting. (Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and West Virginia are the others.) She is a natural at boosting African-American turnout for Democrats. Chemistry: Not exactly Will and Grace, but there is potential here. http://www.cq.com/corp/show.do?page=crawford/crawford_current
What goes around comes around... McCains crazy, but at least he has principles... ______________ Wounds of 2000 never healed for McCain March 15, 2004 BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST In this winter of Republican discontent, the last thing the Grand Old Party needed last week was Sen. John McCain leaving the door open for him to be John Kerry's vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket. That opening was tiny, and McCain quickly had it closed with a bang. Nevertheless, the incident was disturbing to knowledgeable Republicans. A Kerry-McCain ticket is out of the question, and nobody knows it better than McCain. Then why did he for several hours last Wednesday permit what the Associated Press described as ''a glimmer of hope'' for this unlikely combination? It reflects more than the senator's indisputable propensity for mischief-making. At a time when George W. Bush needs help and support, McCain is opposing him on a broad front of issues from tax cuts to global warming. McCain, regarded as a nuisance by most of his Republican colleagues, in fact is the conscience of his party and the Bush administration on many questions. But he often seems more hairshirt than conscience, not hesitating to join hands with Democrats as a campaign of extraordinary partisan intensity begins. What happened last week sounded like McCain warning his intraparty adversary of 2000 that he really couldn't expect too much help from him. McCain previously labeled as absurd interview questions about his going on the Democratic ticket, but something got into him when asked last Wednesday on ABC's ''Good Morning America'' whether he would consider becoming Kerry's running mate: ''John Kerry is a close friend of mine. We have been friends for years. Obviously, I would entertain it.'' His quick admonition that the Democrats never would seek ''a pro-life, free-trading, non-protectionist, deficit hawk'' was ignored. McCain's chief of staff Mark Salter had to be trotted out hours later to make clear that his boss was not running for vice president. Salter could not undo all the damage. At the moment that Republican strategists are intent on unveiling Kerry to voters as the most liberal member of the Senate, the immensely popular McCain says the prospective Democratic nominee is OK. The tough 2000 primary campaign waged against McCain is cited in the Democratic mantra protesting all criticism of Kerry. McCain's refusal to talk about Kerry's long voting record against defense and intelligence spending gives aid and comfort to the political enemy. McCain is nothing like Sen. Jim Jeffords, who long had been an apostate before leaving the party three years ago. McCain has supported Bush's war policy and is on close terms with Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. He is the GOP's better angel in exposing the congressional Republican appetite for pork. What transforms McCain from a conscience into a hairshirt is his refusal to consider any adjustment toward party loyalty in a presidential election year. Two weeks ago, he presided over Senate hearings on his global warming bill that dovetails with the Democratic election-year agenda. Last week, he joined with Democratic senators to pass a budget amendment that would effectively rule out tax cuts. Because neither proposal has the slightest chance of becoming law, they become exercises in politics -- Democratic politics. Worse yet is what the veterans of McCain's 2000 presidential campaign say when no reporters are around. Other Republicans have been shocked by how contemptuous they are of the president and his record. At one recent private dinner, what the former McCain campaign operatives said was hardly distinguishable from Democratic ranting against Bush. The hard truth is that wounds of 2000 never really have healed for John McCain. When the congressional Republican leadership is complaining about the president's inability to project any message other than the war against terrorism, McCain's ability as a Republican to reach out to America could be helpful. Notwithstanding his proclivity to cause trouble, a strong commitment to Bush would have precluded him from seeming to reach out to Kerry.
