Romney Lists Potential Running Mates

BLUFFTON, S.C. — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday dropped some names of potential running mates in the 2008 race, but added such speculation is a bit premature.

Among those Romney mentioned for the second slot on the Republican ticket were three Southerners: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

"There's some wonderful people right here in this state, as you know, Governor Sanford being one of them," the former Massachusetts governor said to a round of applause after being asked about vice presidential picks by a member of a crowd of about 400 people gathered for his campaign stop in this early voting state.

"I have to be honest with you, I haven't given a lot of thought to that, so I don't want to put any names in that hat right now," Romney said, but also gave a nod to Bush, calling him "quite a guy."

"I love him. If his name weren't Bush, he'd be running for president, I'm convinced," said Romney, who added he also was "pretty partial" to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.

Talking with reporters later, Romney said the names he mentioned are part of a list of vice presidential contenders that anyone winning the GOP nomination would have to consider. "When I'm in South Carolina, I'm not going to fail to mention some of the ones that are closest," Romney said.

Romney has lagged behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain in the polls, often with support registering in the single digits. He also trails such better-known Republicans as Gingrich and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson _ who are weighing presidential bids _ when their names are added to the mix of candidates.

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ Edward Cox, a son-in-law of the late President Nixon, has been named chairman of Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign effort in New York.

Polls show former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani far ahead of McCain in the state in the race for the 2008 GOP nomination.

"Senator McCain has an unwavering record of fiscal responsibility," Cox said in a statement issued by the McCain campaign. "He is the resolute leader who will ensure we spend taxpayer dollars wisely and I'm honored to serve as his chairman in New York."

Cox, a Manhattan lawyer with strong ties to the state Conservative Party, had been pursuing the Republican Senate nomination in 2006 to take on Hillary Rodham Clinton until then-Republican Gov. George Pataki endorsed GOP rival Jeanine Pirro. Cox immediately suspended his campaign.

Later, when Pirro's Senate candidacy collapsed, Cox refused to re-enter the race, leaving Clinton to win in a walk over former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer. She now leads national polls for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Giuliani's New York campaign is being led by former state GOP Chairman Bill Powers and Guy Molinari, a former Staten Island borough president and former congressman.

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WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic Rep. James McGovern, a leading anti-war voice in the House, said Thursday said he's supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid despite her 2002 Iraq war vote.

"I feel strongly she would be a great president," the Massachusetts lawmaker said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I want a president who not only wants to end the war, but has the experience and ability to make it happen."

Clinton has faced criticism from many Democratic activists for her 2002 vote authorizing military action in Iraq.

She has refused to repudiate her vote, but has criticized the conduct of the war, saying "if we knew then what we know now" she never would have voted as she did.

"On the war in Iraq, I haven't agreed with every vote she's made, and I'm sure she doesn't agree with every vote I made," McGovern said. "But the bottom line is that I believe if she is elected president and this war is not over, then President Clinton will end this war. And that's the most important thing to me."

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ Move over Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse, and make room for Mike Huckabee.

The Republican presidential candidate will be featured on the Food Network Saturday night in a segment focusing on childhood obesity.

Huckabee, who lost more than 110 pounds after being diagnosed with diabetes, focused on childhood obesity during his term as Arkansas governor and pushed for regular screenings of the body mass of school children.

His campaign said Food Network producers traveled to Arkansas last fall to interview him about the state's efforts to reduce the number of overweight children.

"Removing vending machines from elementary schools, conducting body-mass-index testing and working to increase physical activity in the schools has played a big part in increasing health awareness among children," said the former governor.

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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ Gov. Jon S. Corzine on Monday will endorse New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, according to two people close to the campaign.

The governor will make the endorsement at Elizabeth City Hall, along with Rep. Rob Andrews and other Democrats, The Associated Press has learned.

The people confirming the announcement would not allow their names to be used because of concern over upstaging the governor. A spokesman for Clinton's campaign would say only that she would be in New Jersey on Monday for a major campaign announcement, and Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley refused to comment.

Corzine's endorsement could prove key to Clinton because New Jersey plans to move its presidential primary to Feb. 5, grouping it with other states early in the primary season.

Clinton and Corzine worked together in the Senate before Corzine left to become governor. Hillary and Bill Clinton campaigned with Corzine during his run for governor in 2005.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani says British Prime Minister Tony Blair shouldn't back down on his refusal to negotiate the release of 15 British sailors and marines detained in Iran.

"I urge Tony Blair to stand up to them," Giuliani said after shaking hands and dining at a barbecue restaurant Thursday evening in downtown Oklahoma City.

Blair has said he will not negotiate with Iran for the release of the sailors and marines, and Giuliani said the British leader should remain strong.

Appealing to conservative voters in Oklahoma, Giuliani stressed his work as a Justice Department official and federal prosecutor during the Reagan administration and his leadership after the 9/11 attack in New York when he was mayor.

Although he differs with social conservatives on such issues as abortion, gun control and gay rights, Giuliani said those voters should look at his overall record and his pledge to appoint strict constructionists to the Supreme Court, who believe in deciding cases on the basis of a close reading of the Constitution.

Giuliani arrived in Oklahoma City during a driving rainstorm about an hour after a tornado warning was sounded. A tornado touched down in western part of the city shortly before his visit, injuring four people.

Giuliani, who was apparently unaware of the extent of the storm, said Oklahoma City was "very, very dear to my heart because of what we shared in common."

He was referring to the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, an act of domestic terrorism that left 168 dead, and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, which killed about 3,000.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) _ Sen. Sam Brownback says he can run a low-budget campaign as he tries to break into the top tier of Republican presidential hopefuls.

Lagging far behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona in polls, Brownback said Thursday that people are going to have to see him performing before they invest a lot of resources in his campaign.

"The process is running pretty well," Brownback said. He wouldn't say how much he expects to report on federal campaign cash disclosures.

With Brownback visiting Victory Baptist Church, pastor Tim Butler told the audience of 300 that he didn't know much about the Kansan before the campaign. But, Butler said, no one knew another farm boy, David, before he took down Goliath.

"And overnight, all of Israel knew there was a new kid in town," Butler said.

Speaking at the church's Honor Israel Night, Brownback said that Iran has an open ideology and policy to destroy Israel.

"They believe there will be a reward for the Iranian people if they destroy Israel," he said. "We're next in line, if you're interested."

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EL PASO, Texas (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson says Republican rival John McCain is dead wrong about the war in Iraq.

"Our policy is not working," the New Mexico governor said Thursday night while campaigning in western Texas. He criticized the Arizona senator for supporting President Bush's strategy for sending more troops into the battle zone and repeated his view that U.S. troops should be pulled out.

"I believe we can get out of Iraq within this calendar year," Richardson said. Achieving that goal, he added, would require winning support from other Middle Eastern nations, including Syria and Iran.

"I would withdraw with strong diplomacy," Richardson said.

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Associated Press writers Marc Humbert in Albany, Andrew Miga in Washington, Angela Delli Santi and Tom Hester Jr. in Trenton, Ron Jenkins in Oklahoma City, Jim Davenport in Charleston, S.C., and Alicia A. Caldwell in El Paso contributed to this report.