The details are a little murky, but in 2004, John Kerry apparently considered John McCain for the Democratic presidential ticket. According to Kerry, top McCain aides approached him about McCain’s interest in running as Kerry’s VP. McCain denies this, but he nevertheless acknowledged on national television at the time that he’d consider joining the Democratic ticket, should Kerry extend the offer.
I was always a little surprised that this didn’t become more of an issue during this year’s Republican primaries. Mitt Romney made a half-hearted attempt to generate some attention, but on the whole, McCain was never forced to talk about his openness to running against Bush-Cheney four years ago (or, for that matter, his publicized consideration of leaving the Republican Party altogether in 2001).
Despite the fact that this never caused him any serious political damage, McCain is apparently surprisingly sensitive about it.
What began as a typical chat session with traveling reporters on the plane from Atlanta to New Orleans quickly became a testy exchange with McCain. The senator was questioned on the details of a conversation with former presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 about being his potential running mate.
The topic came up earlier this morning during a town hall at the headquarters of Chic-Fil-A, where an employee asked if McCain would consider John Kerry as a running mate for this election cycle.
McCain answered in Atlanta that his and Kerry’s political views are too different. “I just totally disagree with them,” McCain said. “He is a liberal Democrat… I am a conservative Republican. When we had that conversation in 2004, that’s why I never even considered such a thing.”
Now, that last part is simply not true. McCain may say now that he “ever even considered such a thing,” but he did say, during a CBS News interview in 2004 that if Kerry offered him offered him the VP slot, “Obviously I would entertain it.” Given this, it’s odd that McCain would lie about this now.
But the real trouble came this afternoon, when a NYT reporter followed up on the point.
MSNBC said, “McCain showed his infamous temper.” ABC News said McCain “lost his cool.”
Those descriptions might be a little hyperbolic, but the subject of his 2004 discussions with Kerry are definitely a sore spot for McCain and it showed.
For those who can’t watch video clips online…
Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times asked, “Senator, can I ask you about Senator Kerry. I just went back and looked at our story, the Times story, and you told Sheryl Stolberg that you had never had a conversation with Kerry about being about vice president…”
McCain testily replied, “Everybody knows that I had a private conversation. Everybody knows that. That I had a conversation. There’s no living American in Washington — that knows that, there’s no one.”
Bumiller: “Okay.”
McCain: “And you know it, too. You know it. So, I don’t even know why you ask.”
Bumiller: “Well, I ask because I just read…”
McCain: “You do know it. You do know it.”
Bumiller: “Because I just read in the Times in May of ’04 you said….”
McCain: “I don’t know what you may have read or heard of, I don’t know the circumstances. Maybe in May of ’04 I hadn’t had the conversation…”
Bumiller: “But do you recall the conversation?”
McCain: “I don’t know, but it’s well known that I had the conversation. It is absolutely well known by everyone. So do you have a question on another issue?”
Bumiller: “Well can I ask you when the conversation was?”
McCain: “No. nope, because the issue is closed as far as I’m concerned. Everybody knows it. Everybody knows it in America.”
Bumiller: “Can you describe the conversation?”
McCain: “No, of course not. I don’t describe private conversations.”
Bumiller: “Okay. Can I ask you…”
McCain: “Why should I? Then there’s no such thing as a private conversation. Is there (inaudible) if you have a private conversation with someone, and then they come and tell you. I don’t know that that’s a private conversation. I think that’s a public conversation.”
Bumiller: “Okay. Can I ask you about your (pause) Why you’re so angry?”
McCain: “Pardon me?”
Bumiller: “Never mind, never mind.”
McCain: “I mean, it’s well known. Everybody knows. It’s been well chronicled a thousand times. John Kerry asked if I would consider being his running mate.”
Bumiller: “Okay.”
McCain: “And I said categorically no, under no circumstances. That’s very well known.”
On the issue of McCain getting rather testy, I’m telling you, temperament is going to be a campaign issue this year.
On the facts of McCain’s remarks, it’s odd that he’s being so dishonest about recent history. Based on his own public remarks, McCain said he was open to running with Kerry and also said he was always opposed to running with Kerry. McCain said he talked to Kerry about the ticket and also said he never talked to Kerry about the ticket.
How did this guy get a reputation for “straight talk” again?