Washington, D.C.
Sen. John McCain insisted this week that he would absolutely, positively not leave the Republican Party and run for vice president on Sen. John Kerry’s ticket. “No, no, and no,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Some political strategists have pegged the popular Arizona maverick as the perfect running mate to help Kerry, a Democrat, beat President Bush. McCain lost a hard-fought race with Bush for the Republican nomination in 2000, and since then he’s been openly critical of the administration on issues ranging from campaign-finance reform to the war in Iraq. McCain and Kerry have forged a bond around their common experiences as decorated Vietnam veterans. But McCain said the friendship wouldn’t matter on election day—he intended to vote for Bush.
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