McCain: I'd Entertain Kerry VP Offer

NewsMax/AP ^ | 3/10/04 | Limbacher

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

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 (news - web sites) 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.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Version 2

[hopespringseternal]

What a whore.

[Toonces T. Cat]

Personally, I would love to see this happen! McLame is the ULTIMATE loose cannon. He would go out of control and sink Kerry's campaign faster than a scalded dog...:-)

-Toonces

[Bogey78O]

Hmmm....perhaps you should offer to drive him in your car, Toonces.

[Williams]

I'll add this latest McCain media love fest to the non existent stack of articles praising "party maverick Zell Miller."

[Semper Paratus]

McCain being a heart beat away from anything besides retirement scares me.

[My Favorite Headache]

Worthless...absolutely worthless

[Eva]

McCain stated on Hannity's show that Kerry's anti-war campaign was used to taunt him while he was imprisoned at the Hanoi Hilton. (I'm not sure that it was Hannity's show, but I think it was). I'm sure that the tape is available. That replay should kill this talk very quickly and it would kill two birds with one stone.

[God luvs America]

I disagree...this is not good. You know damn well once the liberal-media-whores get their hands on this they will run with it as fast as they can.

[Helms]

Senatorial Media Creature (and there are some others).

"How does it feel" (Maria Shiver to McCain).

[DM1]

MCCAIN was just in NH campaigning for Bush not too long ago
what an ego

[marron]

Not often you get to knock two of these guys out of the park in one go.

Seriously, this would be a challenge for Bush. At least on paper, Kerry holds the Democratic base, McCain brings over his McCainiacs, which is enough to tip the balance. And he only has to bring over, what, 538 votes to take it... ?

If Bush holds firm, though, and has a little good news between now and the end, and most especially if he has been sandbagging a little good news to pull out at the right time, he can win and finish both of these guys. McCain has proven himself to be a problematic figure politically, his campaign finance bill has been an assault on the first ammendment, and has only served to make campaign money harder to track. Hardly something to be proud of.

And at least some people are going to be offended by McCain's Sunday punch attack on Bush coming as it does from among his own. This is not the first case of a political enemy that Bush has treated with the utmost of respect replying with venom, and it isn't even the first time with McCain.

It isn't hard to imagine a ticket with two gargantuan egos like these coming apart at the rivets, in any case. McCain doesn't handle pressure well, and he doesn't handle being second banana well either. The partnership would not hold long, the question would be whether it could hold long enough to get them through to November.

[bwteim]

Hate to spoil a party, but Sen. Bob Graham-FL already has that slot.... /sarcasm

[MEG33]

I can't say it better.

[SF Republican]

Navy - they never leave their buddies behind

[Viking2002]

McCain doesn't stand a chance. After going out and stumping for Bush, it'll look like an attempt at petty revenge for the pasting he got in the 2000 primaries. It'll also effectively kill any Senate power and clout that he currently wields. If McCain has any sense, he'd better start doing damage control immediately.

[plain talk]

McCain is not a serious VP choice. But this is another ploy to implant a seed in some independents mind to think Kerry = independent.

[Howlin]

I'm confused:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Sen. John Kerry was on this program and I asked him if he'd consider asking you to be his running mate . . . . Are you open to the idea?

MCCAIN: No. I'm a Republican. It's hard for me to imagine that a pro-life, free trading, defense and deficit hawk would be acceptable to the Democrat Party. It's always flattering to hear one's name mentioned but I do not intend to leave the Republican Party.

STEPHANOPOULOS: A lot of Democrats think this is a dream ticket. So, there's no chance you'll reconsider?

MCCAIN: I cannot envision a scenario, George. As I say, it's flattering. But I have no view where I could leave the Republican Party.

STEPHANOPOULOS: OK. You're not quite being General Sherman but I think you're clear. [End of Excerpt]

[kevao]

That McCain would even entertain the idea of running with a Liberal Democrat to unseat a Republican president, should FINISH his career in the Republican Party.

Beware the RINOs.