Bush Mulls Prospects for Running Mate

Republican presidential contender George W. Bush said Wednesday he is actively considering “a couple dozen” potential running mates, but his list does not include Colin L. Powell or John McCain, two of the GOP’s most potent political figures.

“People who don’t want to be considered for vice president are not going to be considered for vice president,” Bush said in an interview with Associated Press. “They have told me, they have said publicly, they don’t want to be vice president.”

Offering a rare glimpse at his decision-making process, Bush said he talks frequently about the choices with Dick Cheney, the former Defense secretary heading up his search.

The prospects cut a wide swath throughout the GOP ranks--”I’m looking at everybody,” he said--with each candidate undergoing an initial background review. Bush said he is being updated by Cheney as the reviews are processed and is informed whenever important information crops up about a prospect.

He planned to talk with Cheney on Wednesday night after returning here from Ohio, where Bush told local reporters that Rep. John R. Kasich and Sen. George Voinovich, a former governor, were under consideration. Both men are from Ohio. In Michigan, he said Gov. John Engler is a prospect.

Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas J. Ridge is said to be a top candidate.