...According to Salter, “The idea that McCain approached Kerry is a fantasy.” Out of respect for Senator Kerry (they worked together on the POW MIA issue), McCain allowed Kerry to talk with him on three occasions (sometimes this was on the floor of the Senate and sometimes it was over coffee).
According to Weaver, the first overture in August or 2003, when Kerry scheduled a breakfast. At the time, neither Weaver, Salter, nor McCain knew what it was about. Weaver adds: “We laughed it off then,”
By the end, Salter says there was a discussion about how "empowered" McCain would be. In essence, they were offering McCain the chance to be Vice President, remain a Republican, as well as a “functional Secretary of Defense.”
According to Weaver and Salter, each time, McCain rejected the offers, and each time, the offer got sweeter.
http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/d7964567-9864-4587-8296-0b8096ed2232
Third party gobblegook!