Hoffa Suggests a Kerry-Gephardt Ticket

LAS VEGAS —  Teamsters President James P. Hoffa said Sunday that he has repeatedly urged Sen. John F. Kerry to pick Dick Gephardt as his running mate, calling the Missouri congressman a strong addition to the Democratic presidential ticket.

“He needs somebody that’s high profile, somebody that can go out and carry a state, somebody that has a constituency, somebody that can deliver,” Hoffa told reporters at the union’s annual unity conference at a Las Vegas hotel.

“If Dick Gephardt can go out and deliver Missouri, that’s a big up,” added Hoffa, head of the 1.4-million-member union.

The Teamsters president said that Kerry, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, has given him no indication about whom he intends to select, and has responded merely that Gephardt is “a fine man.”

Gephardt, a longtime labor ally, attended the Teamsters conference Sunday and was in the audience when Kerry addressed the union, but an aide to the candidate said the two did not meet privately.

But the Massachusetts senator mentioned Gephardt several times in his speech, offering strong words of praise for the congressman.

“Over the 20 years I’ve had the privilege of serving in the Congress, 20 years where I’ve worked with different leaders, 20 years where I’ve seen people kind of dodge the big issues, play the game, duck, bob, weave, do everything except stand up to things that make a difference, this particular leader,” Kerry said of Gephardt, “is one of those who I think is one of the most decent, one of the most honest, one of the most committed, passionate advocates for the cause of neighbors, real citizens, people in the streets, people in the schools, people who are working hard to make a living in this country.”

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona on Sunday ruled out any possibility of accepting an offer to be Kerry’s running mate, despite the hope of many Democrats of seeing the two Vietnam veterans on a ticket together.

“I’ve said categorically -- categorically -- I will not be vice president of the United States,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I will not be a candidate. And I mean that.”

He added, “I am a loyal Republican. I am supporting President Bush’s reelection.”

In his address to the Teamsters, Kerry stressed his commitment to creating new jobs and enforcing worker protections in existing trade agreements. “I intend to put the American worker first,” he said.

Hoffa acknowledged that unions were not happy with Kerry’s past support for free trade, but he added that he was now confident that the senator understood the need to provide more protection for American workers.

“He’s going to be fine on trade,” Hoffa told reporters. “I think this has absolutely gotten through to this man.”