In the 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign, McCain was once again frequently mentioned for the vice-presidential slot, only this time as part of the Democratic ticket under nominee John Kerry."McCain: I'd 'entertain' Democratic VP slot", Associated Press for USA Today (March 10, 2004). Retrieved May 6, 2008.Halbfinger, David. "McCain Is Said To Tell Kerry He Won't Join", The New York Times (June 12, 2004). Retrieved January 3, 2008.Balz, Dan and VandeHei, Jim. "McCain's Resistance Doesn't Stop Talk of Kerry Dream Ticket", The Washington Post (June 12, 2004). Retrieved January 18, 2008. McCain said that Kerry had never formally offered him the position and that he would not have accepted it if he had."Kerry wants to boost child-care credit", Associated Press. NBC News (June 16, 2004). Retrieved March 8, 2008. At the 2004 Republican National Convention, McCain supported Bush for re-election, praising Bush's management of the War on Terror since the September 11 attacks.Loughlin, Sean. "McCain praises Bush as 'tested'", CNN (August 30, 2004). Retrieved November 14, 2007. At the same time, he defended Kerry's Vietnam War record.Coile, Zachary. "Vets group attacks Kerry; McCain defends Democrat", San Francisco Chronicle (August 6, 2004). Retrieved August 15, 2006. By August 2004, McCain had the best favorable-to-unfavorable rating (55 percent to 19 percent) of any national politician; he campaigned for Bush much more than he had four years previously, though the two remained situational allies rather than friends.
