McCain teams with former rival Huckabee in Arkansas

[April 26, 2008]  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain and former rival Mike Huckabee campaigned together for the first time Friday, with Huckabee joking that they were so civil as opponents they don't have to "unsay" any bad things.

McCain said that early in the GOP campaign, they had a lot of time to get to know each other when both were dismissed as the longest of long shots. Chatting with reporters on the Straight Talk Express campaign bus, McCain recalled the days when they were relegated to the most distant ends of the podium in the early Republican debates, drawing few questions from the moderators.

"Governor Huckabee and I had lots of time to chat with each other," McCain laughed. "We became friends on the campaign trail."

They were joined on the bus by their wives, Cindy McCain and Janet Huckabee.

Huckabee, hugely popular with social conservatives, has been mentioned as a potential running mate for McCain, who needs to shore up his support among conservative Republicans.

McCain responded to that speculation by offering his "standard answer," saying he didn't want to mention any names because that quickly leads to an invasion of privacy for anyone being considered.

But McCain was quick to volunteer that "millions of Republican voters voted for Governor Huckabee" in the primaries, and that he wanted the former Arkansas governor to play a prominent role in his campaign. McCain noted Huckabee still has a 65 percent approval rating in Arkansas.

When reporters asked Huckabee if he planned to campaign for McCain, it was McCain who jumped in to answer with a ready "yes."

Huckabee, for his part, deflected a question about becoming McCain's running mate by saying, "The main thing is getting Senator McCain elected."

Pressed on the matter again later, he said: "That's a decision that isn't mine to make. And one of the things that a person never does is go buy a wedding dress before they've been asked."

Huckabee said it would be easy for him to promote McCain's cause. "I don't have to go around and unsay anything I said in the campaign. We ran a very civil campaign."

Huckabee's low-budget, upstart candidacy was one of the big surprises of the GOP primaries. He won eight states, including the leadoff Iowa caucuses, and was the last GOP rival standing before McCain claimed the prize.

Asked whether he could help McCain build support among wary conservatives, Huckabee predicted the party would rally around McCain because the stakes are so high. As for some grumbling among conservative leaders about McCain, Huckabee said, "I don't see that in the rank and file."

What most Republican voters are worried about, Huckabee said, is "Hillary R. Obama."

McCain and Huckabee stuck together all day, attending a closed fundraiser, grabbing takeout from a barbecue joint and visiting a men's leadership class at Arkansas Baptist College, a traditionally black private college. It was the last stop on McCain's "time for action" tour of places that have been neglected or suffered injustice over the years.

McCain said the college, by contrast, is an example of a success story to be celebrated.

At the college, Huckabee introduced and praised McCain for paying attention to the needs of "invisible" Americans. He said McCain is a man who "gets it. And he's going to make sure the rest of America gets it, too."

[Associated Press; By NANCY BENAC]

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