Bush Titillates With Search for Possible Running Mates

Texas Gov. George W. Bush continued on Monday the slow striptease of the search for his vice president, providing a glimpse of the process without giving away the ending.

Before the watchful gaze of more than 40 reporters and cameramen, the likely Republican nominee greeted former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney as he arrived for a visit at Bush’s ranch with a worn leather briefcase stuffed full of documents about potential contenders.

But neither Bush nor Cheney, who is heading up the search for Bush’s running mate, offered much in the way of new information, insisting that the list of candidates was long, diverse and filled with all sorts of possibilities.

“I’m taking my time. I’m taking this very seriously,” Bush said.

The actual timing of the vice presidential pick has become an issue of late, as Bush strategists try to figure out how to make the biggest splash out of revealing their choice.

While traditionally the vice presidential pick isn’t announced until the convention, Bush is considering whether to unveil his running mate perhaps a week earlier to generate some pre-convention publicity.

And while Monday’s meeting provided a nice bit of pre-pre-convention buzz, Bush staff said the photo-op about 120 miles north of Austin was in response to media requests about the vice presidential selection process.

For months, the search has been the object of rabid fascination among pundits, politicians and press aching for news.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that the meeting and the backdrop--1,600 shimmering acres of grassland and hardwood--provided perfect visuals for the networks to offer the story to their massive audiences, on a slow news day to boot.

“This is a way to visually show the public how the governor approaches this process,” said Karen Hughes, the governor’s spokeswoman.

Bush began the day by rolling up to the entrance of his ranch in a John Deere Trail Gator, the type of rugged six-wheel-drive vehicle favored by deer hunters and woodsmen.

Wearing a gray-checked shirt and blue jeans, Bush seemed happy and relaxed as he chatted with reporters briefly before Cheney’s arrival, who showed up wearing a blazer and khakis.

In his comments, Bush first congratulated Vincente Fox, the apparent winner in Sunday’s Mexico elections. Seeing in Fox’s upset victory a message for his own attempts to run as a reformer, Bush said it showed the power of the desire for change.

“When the people want change or want reform, it’s amazing what happens,” said Bush, who has previously met both Fox and his challenger, Francisco Labastida.

Bush spent much of his time deflecting various questions about individual candidates for the nation’s No. 2 job. Although Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating has been called an inside favorite, Bush said the two have not met to discuss the issue.

“I know him well,” Bush said, “but I’ve not met with him in the context of the vice presidency.”

He also said he had ruled out Sen. Connie Mack, after the Florida political powerhouse told Bush in a face-to-face meeting that he had no interest in the job.

In response to questions, Bush said he was still focused on two criteria: First, whether the person could assume the presidency, and second, whether the two were compatible.

In addition, Cheney said he had gathered a “vast amount of data” about each candidate’s financial, health and public service record.

Bush repeated that there would be no litmus test on issues such as abortion, even though the Christian conservative wing of the GOP has insisted on an anti-abortion running mate.

Asked whether he was considering any minority candidates, Bush said, “We are considering a wide variety of people, a wide range of people from all different backgrounds and different states.”