WEB EXCLUSIVE | SCOT LEHIGH
Slamming the door on a Kerry-McCain ticketHERE'S TODAY'S question: How hard does a door have to slam before it's truly closed?
But first let's begin with the little tease of a joke that went untold. According to a Democratic wag, one suggestion for a bit of levity at John Kerry's fund-raiser in Washington last Wednesday called for the senator to glance at his watch, then deadpan that they probably shouldn't wait any longer for John McCain to show up before starting the program. Not a laugh riot, certainly, but as Kerry jokes go, it wouldn't have been bad. And it would have added a piquant note to a topic that has been much on the political world's mind: Is there any real prospect that the Arizona Republican might actually join Kerry on the Democratic ticket? McCain said no - ``no, no, and no,'' actually - again on Sunday during an appearance on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' a thrice-buttressed negative that may finally put to rest an idea the Kerry camp appears to have an interest in fanning. But certainly in some quarters, that pairing is seen as a winner. McCain, after all, enjoys unique status as a senator. He's a national figure who has managed to transcend the ammoniac partisanship of Washington. Around the country, he's seen as a serious, mature man, one willing to speak the truth even if it means offending his own party. Now, putting McCain, who is pro-death penalty and antiabortion, on the Democratic ticket, would probably give some of Kerry's liberal supporters paroxysms. But McCain's addition would also moderate Kerry's liberal image, signaling a bipartisan seriousness in international affairs and a commitment to responsibility in national finance. And it would undercut Republican incumbent George W. Bush by making it clear that one of the nation's best known and most popular Republicans felt the current administration had made a thorough hash of things. There have been a few tantalizing signs. Those who know him well say that, three years after their rancorous primary campaign, there remains little love lost between McCain and Bush. Further, the McCain-Kerry friendship may be even closer than is commonly realized. ``They talk all the time,'' says one well-placed source. ``You can assume there have been feelers to him about whether he would do it.'' What intrigues close observers is that, back on March 10, McCain said, ``Obviously I would entertain it'' if Kerry made a VP overture. When it comes to powering the rumor mill, that one remark has trumped the senator's subsequent denials of any interest. And, as others have noted, McCain does seems to enjoy the buzz the story has generated. So does the Arizonan have any real interest? Usually, when a candidate does, his aides will give some sort of hint, even if on an off-the-record basis, that his public disavowals aren't ironclad. Not this time. Continued... |
