PRIVACY WAS PARAMOUNT
Decision made amid extraordinary secrecy
PITTSBURGH -- When John F. Kerry's motorcade arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport yesterday, he pointed to and looked on with pride at the new ''Kerry-Edwards" logo affixed to the side of his
On March 2, the day Kerry virtually secured the Democratic presidential nomination with a string of wins in the Super Tuesday contests, the Massachusetts senator set in motion a search led by a trusted friend known for his discretion, Washington investment banker James A. Johnson, and conducted largely in privacy despite a headquarters filled with staff, a campaign plane loaded with reporters, and camera crews staked outside his homes in Washington, Boston, Pennsylvania, and Nantucket. Near the end, he almost lost control, after reporters learned of a late-night meeting he held last Thursday with Edwards at the Washington home of former secretary of state Madeleine K. Albright. Then, about 3 a.m. yesterday, a blogger on an aviation website posted a message saying ''Kerry-Edwards" logos had been affixed to a plane sealed inside a US Airways hangar. By the time the plane emerged, the spots were covered with tarps, making visual confirmation impossible. ''I think it shows that John Kerry likes to seek out opinions, make decisions that are well-researched, and can keep things private when he needs to," said Mary Beth Cahill, Kerry's campaign manager. He told her and Johnson about the selection of Edwards Monday night about 10, after a day in which he hosted a picnic at his wife's farm, did a pair of magazine interviews and a photo shoot, and refreshed himself with a swim in a pool that overlooks a cow pasture. It was also five hours after he told a series of TV interviewers he had yet to make a final decision. And it was four hours after he made up his mind, called his director of advance planning, Greg Hale, and had him pass the cellphone to an aviation logo applicator named Charlie. The staff could not determine his surname yesterday, after he worked in such secrecy that he and his crew covered each letter in sequence as they spelled out Edwards's name on the plane's fuselage and engine cowlings. Not even Hale, who had hired the crew and sat downtown in a hotel room with thousands of T-shirts, posters, and banners declaring up to five possible teams of Kerry and a different running mate, knew which one had been chosen. While the campaign insisted there was no short list, Hale selected the possible combinations after consulting Kerry last Thursday. According to Cahill, Johnson, and a series of campaign aides who mostly spoke on the condition of anonymity, Johnson consulted with more than 300 people and Kerry ended up beginning his deliberations with a list of about 25 potential picks. Arching over the process was a five-point mission statement. It sought someone who was: A proven leader with sound judgment on national security, economic prosperity, and social justice. Committed to Kerry's issues and vision for the country. Capable of inspiring confidence in voters from all parts of the country and all walks of life. Compatible with Kerry ''on every level." ''Ready at any moment to assume the awesome responsibility of president." Kerry then whittled his list down during a rigorous process in which he kept asking his aides and background checkers for more information. Last Thursday afternoon, as the senator sat in Pittsburgh and Cahill was in Washington, she made a final phone call to Kerry fulfilling his last request for information. Then, she said, ''the process was in his hands." That evening, Kerry flew back to Washington, where he met with Edwards -- who had flown in by private jet from a vacation at Disney World -- one last time. From then on, he deliberated in private, speaking only to his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and several family members and friends. The secretiveness with which Kerry conducted his search stemmed from his personal experience during Al Gore's selection of a running mate in 2000. Kerry believed the process was riven with leaks about the pros and cons of the finalists, which included him, Edwards, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the eventual nominee. He also chafed at having to learn of Lieberman's selection not from Gore but from an aide who saw it announced on the network morning shows. The vice president did not call Kerry until near lunchtime. Four years later, Kerry promised a dignified review, telling reporters on March 3, the day after Super Tuesday, ''I want it to be a private and respected process." Kerry and Johnson sat atop a deliberately small circle of confidants: Heinz Kerry, Cahill, Cameron F. Kerry, his brother; David McKean, his Senate chief of staff; and Robert Shrum, his media consultant. For candidates such as Edwards, much of the vetting had already been done because of his involvement in Gore's search. For others like Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, Johnson requested copies of speeches, legislation filed, health records, military records, and even college transcripts. The duration of the search, as well as the inevitable need to reach a conclusion, prompted inevitable leaks. On one occasion, Johnson was spotted coming out of the Capitol with one potential candidate, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, when the building emptied for a fire alarm. On June 11, a wire service reported Kerry had personally asked Senator John McCain of Arizona to consider being his running mate. His aim was to forge a bipartisan alliance with the Republican and fellow Vietnam War veteran. Kerry himself fueled speculation that he was closing in on a choice on June 16, when he abruptly changed plans to head home from Washington's airport after a trip to Ohio and instead headed to the Capitol. While Capitol Police officers sealed off the hallways around his ''hideaway" office, Kerry interviewed Gephardt, signaling the last phase of his selection process. Yesterday, Kerry called Edwards to announce his decision. Edwards in turn called his wife, Elizabeth, who was at their home in North Carolina. When the phone rang, their daughter Emma Claire answered. ''She said, 'Senator Kerry picked Daddy,' " Elizabeth Edwards told reporters as she and her husband shook hands yesterday afternoon after arriving at the Pittsburgh airport to meet up with the Kerrys. As she spoke, Kerry's 757 sat parked behind her, the freshly painted ''Kerry-Edwards" logo affixed to its side.
Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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