Burnt Orange Report

Kerry/McCain?

By Byron LaMasters

Every time the talk of a Kerry/McCain ticket is squashed, it seems to start back up again. Last month McCain flirted with the temptation before flatly ruling it out on several occations and restating his support for Bush. Even so, the idea of a Kerry/McCain ticket is about all Washington can talk about:

Washington is abuzz with rumors that John McCain, one of the most popular Republicans in Congress, could team up with Democratic contender John Kerry (news - web sites) in the race for the White House. The outlandish notion that a Republican could be a vice presidential partner for Kerry has added new drama to the campaign for the November 2 election, in which Republican president George W. Bush is already looking vulnerable.

McCain has repeatedly denied interest, but top Democrats refuse to let the rumour die. Senator Hillary Clinton (news - web sites) fueled speculation by saying Sunday she would have no problem supporting the maverick Arizona senator.

"I'm a big admirer of John McCain's," Clinton said.

"I've spoken with Senator McCain and he assures me he's not interested -- but you know, we'll see what happens."

On Monday, former Democratic presidential contender Dick Gephardt (news - web sites), another contender for the Kerry ticket, said the Democratic faithful could easily rally around McCain.

"He is a very bipartisan figure," the Missouri representative said. "He would be accepted by the Democratic party."

Comments this week by Hillary Clinton and Dick Gephardt signing off on John McCain as Veep don't just occur in a vacuum. Obviously, there is a real possibility of a Kerry / McCain ticket. Perhaps the two have talked behind the scenes of the idea and Kerry is gauging the reaction by other party leaders, or perhaps Clinton and Gephardt are trying to put preasure on McCain. There's no denying that Kerry/McCain would be the kind of national unity ticket that would turn this election upside down and immidiately catapult Kerry into a commanding position. Just take a look at this CBS Poll (via Political Wire):

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry holds an eight-point lead over President George W. Bush among registered voters in the latest CBS News poll, 49% to 41%, but one of the names currently bandied about as a running mate for him - Republican Sen. John McCain - gives Kerry an even larger edge when added to the ticket.

McCain has continued to face questions about joining his fellow Vietnam veteran Kerry on a ticket, despite having insisted that he is not interested in doing so. America’s voters, meanwhile, do have interest in such a bi-partisan slate: a hypothetical Kerry/McCain pairing holds a 14-point advantage over President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, nearly double the 8-point lead Kerry has alone over Bush.

The CBS Poll shows Kerry/McCain beating Bush/Cheney 53%-39%. I think John McCain would be a decent Vice President, and he'd be a great Secretary of Defense. My only problem would be if something should happen to John Kerry and McCain would become President. It would be hard not feeling at least somewhat betrayed - putting lots of time and money into electing a Democrat, only to wind up with a Republican. It would be like 1840 all over again when the Whigs put John Tyler on the ticket as Vice President, only to see William Henry Harrison die after a month in office, while Tyler, the former Democrat frustrated the entire Whig legislative program. If not 1840, how about 1864 when Abraham Lincoln put a Democrat Andrew Johnson on his ticket only to be assassinated a year later. Only after being impeached and surviving removal from office by one vote did Johnson make concessions to the Republicans on Reconstruction. Will that happen again in 2005? I sure as hell hope not, but it is a legitimate concern for all those McCain-for-VP backers.