Apparently, you have a selective memory.
From the Daily Oakland Press:
Kerry, McCain create buzz
Web-posted Apr 7, 2004
WASHINGTON - The game inside the Beltway now focuses on John Kerry's pick of a running mate. The same game rages inside Kerry's campaign headquarters. If there is a consensus among Kerry aides about the boldest and most potent pick, it is Sen. John McCain of Arizona - a Republican.
While Kerry has talked about his search with few people, many high-level staffers believe McCain will get serious consideration.
The other name heard most frequently is that of Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who defended Kerry last week in a CNN interview. In the primaries, however, Kerry questioned Edwards's ability to deliver Southern votes.
Not only could McCain help Kerry pick up Electoral College votes in a pivotal Southwestern state, but the former Vietnam POW would also be a staunch ally for what is expected to be a fierce battle with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Such a ticket could offer the prospect of a reduction in partisanship on Capitol Hill, as well as a return to the national unity of the time after Sept. 11, 2001.
Above all, Kerry aides hypothesize that by choosing McCain, Kerry would energize the election, create a buzz and attract swing and independent voters. Surveys this year showed that many people who backed Howard Dean were the "McCainiacs" who helped McCain win the 2000 Republican primary in New Hampshire against Bush.
"The narrative fits the country right now," a Kerry aide said of a Kerry-McCain partnership, while not ruling out others.
McCain has said he would not run with Kerry, but last month he renewed speculation when he was asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" whether he would consider running with Kerry. He replied, "Obviously, I would entertain it."
Those within the Kerry camp acknowledge that picking McCain would be fraught with political peril, from within the his party and from Republicans. McCain, for example, opposes abortion, in contrast to the Democratic position.
A McCain defection would probably trigger an even harsher critique of his record from Bush and the GOP than he faced in 2000, when he was portrayed as a brainwashed Manchurian candidate after his wartime confinement.
Reporters at a Kerry round table asked him about McCain.
"I'm not commenting," he said.
Did that mean he was not ruling McCain out?
"I'm not commenting," he said.
The New York Times reported Sunday that four potential picks are Edwards, Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, and Govs. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Tom Vilsack of Iowa.
Aides note that despite their differences, Kerry and McCain both voted against the tax cuts proposed by Bush, opposed plans to drill for oil in Alaska and jointly presented a proposal to raise automobile fuel-efficiency standards.
Here's the REST of the story ...
By Bob Cusack
March 30, 2007
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thursday that there is “not a shred” of truth to claims that he was close to leaving the Republican Party in 2001.
On Sean Hannity’s radio show, McCain said Democrats approached him about leaving the GOP, but denied any suggestion that he engaged in serious discussions to become an Independent.
The Hill Thursday reported that former members of Congress, including Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D), claimed that McCain nearly left the Republican Party before Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) did so in May of 2001. In a statement provided by his 2008 campaign in that article, McCain said he never considered the leaving his party.
Asked by the conservative pundit whether there is any truth to the assertions made in the article by Daschle and former Rep. Tom Downey (D-N.Y.), McCain responded, “Not a shred. Not a shred.”
The White House hopeful questioned why, if the events occurred the way Democrats described them, the story had not been reported in the six intervening years.
“Why did it take six years for this information to ?” he asked.
The senator did not address that Daschle mentions the issue in a book published in 2003.
“Look,” McCain said on the radio show, “I was approached by Democrats, sure. I was approached by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to run as his running mate in 2004 and I rejected it out of hand.”
Laughing, McCain added, “It was the smartest thing I ever did.”