Gephardt interviewed by Kerry for 2d slot
Aides map steps to build interest before convention
WASHINGTON -- John F. Kerry spent 90 minutes yesterday interviewing Representative Richard A. Gephardt, as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee began the closing phase of his search for a running mate, according to a Democratic official close to both men.
The meeting was the first in a series that Kerry plans, the official said, as he prepares to announce his choice of a vice president, most probably the second or third week of July.
His aides have developed a plan that includes an elaborately staged announcement, as well as a bus, train, air, or boat tour by the duo aimed at building interest in the ticket before the Democratic National Convention, which begins July 26.
Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, urged Kerry during a meeting last week to unveil his choice in the three or four days immediately before the convention, as a way of energizing the event, but Kerry was noncommittal, a second Democratic official said. The senator's meeting with Gephardt, who represents Missouri in Congress, came amid a whirl of vice presidential speculation fueled by the visit to Washington of two other potential running mates, Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa and retired US Army General Wesley K. Clark.
Yesterday, Kerry dropped plans to head home from the airport after a pair of events in Columbus, Ohio, and headed for Capitol Hill.
He secluded himself in his Capitol hideaway, a small office on the building's third floor that offers him more privacy than his Georgetown townhouse. Capitol Police sealed off several halls around Kerry's office, citing security concerns.
The campaign has vetted Vilsack as a possible running mate. He was in town for a Families USA news conference on health care. Joining him was Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, also mentioned as a possible running mate. Clark, once Kerry's rival for the Democratic nomination, was due to speak tonight at a Kerry fund-raiser in Georgetown.
Gephardt walked through the Capitol's warren of hallways and voted on the House floor, a rarity this year as he prepares to retire from Congress in January.
Asked about being Kerry's running mate, Gephardt told the Associated Press: ''I'm happy to do it if he wants me to do it. I'm equally happy to not do it and just help in other ways."
The New York Post also reported that FBI agents were vetting another potential candidate, former senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, but federal agencies are not involved in Kerry's process, according to his aides. Instead, the process is being handled by teams of private lawyers. Another potential candidate, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, was in New York yesterday.
Both Kerry and his staff maintained their postures of not commenting about this issue. ''I've told you that I'm leaving that a private process," Kerry said, as he walked into the Capitol.
While in the Capitol, Kerry also met with Senators Ernest Hollings of South Carolina and John Breaux of Louisiana, both of whom are retiring. Kerry also spoke with Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, and Tim Johnson of South Dakota.
Kerry's meeting with Gephardt ''is a natural evolution" in the selection process, said the first Democratic official. ''You make a list of candidates, you vet them, and pick the ones you like, but ultimately you have to sit down and talk with them and figure out if you can work with them."
Earlier in the day, Kerry continued to seek votes in middle-class areas, arguing that the Bush administration ignores ''fundamental fairness," most particularly when it pushed for three tax cuts he says disproportionately benefited the wealthy.
Kerry has called for repealing the tax cuts received by those making more than $200,000 per year and using the money recouped to pay for a national health insurance program and funding for educational and early childhood programs. He also chided the administration about a news report that its planned budget for next year included across-the-board spending cuts in domestic programs, including $910 million for veterans programs.
''I got to tell you something: If that is 'compassionate conservatism,' then Dick Cheney is Mr. Rogers," he said.
The fund-raiser generated more than $1 million in donations, part of $100 million the campaign announced it has raised since securing the Democratic nomination March 2. Kerry has raised more than Bush has in the past three months and has taken in more than $140 million for his campaign. Bush has raised more than $180 million and has largely stopped fund-raising for himself in recent months.
Later in the day, Kerry faulted the administration for not providing full funding for the No Child Left Behind education overhaul package, which Kerry supported.
''We can't be out there making rhetoric and walking away from promises like educating young people," he said during a visit to the city's Marion Franklin Community Center.
Ken Mehlman, chairman of the president's reelection committee, cited Kerry's votes against the administration's tax cuts and told reporters during a conference call: ''Today, Senator Kerry has said he is for helping working parents, yet he has consistently voted against marriage-penalty relief and the child tax credit that are critically important to helping the very working parents he claims he wants to help."
He added that Kerry's 1970s rhetoric isn't going to stop the economic progress of America today."
Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. 