Huckabee says Republican VP nod would be surprise

TOKYO (Reuters) - Former Gov. Mike Huckabee said on Wednesday he would be surprised if Republican candidate John McCain asked him to be the vice-presidential nominee, and he also doubted Hillary Clinton will be No.2 on the Democratic ticket.

Huckabee, on a visit to Japan after his own bid for the Republican candidacy ended, told Reuters in an interview that the decision would depend on McCain's strategy to win in November and comfort level with him in the role.

"I'm not sure I'm the right fit for him -- that's something only he can know," he said.

"The vice presidency is not a job that a person seeks. It's a job that seeks the person, largely dependent upon how the President is going to feel in terms of comfort level."

"It would be a real surprise if I got that call."

The former rivals campaigned together in Huckabee's home state of Arkansas in April after Huckabee withdrew from the race.

Speculation of a McCain-Huckabee ticket emerged during the primaries on the view the Baptist minister could deliver more conservative Republicans, cool to McCain during much of the nomination race.

Huckabee said that support was not merely Evangelicals.

"It was more middle class, working class Americans than a religious bent. If I had all the Evangelicals, I would have won."

Turning to the Democrats, Huckabee doubted whether Democratic candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, and Sen. Hillary Clinton would mend their differences and form the Democratic presidential ticket.

"There's some real tension, not just between the two principals, but their inner circle and down in the ranks of their supporters that would be very hard to overcome," he said.

He added that while the Obama campaign has sent out many signals it would welcome Hillary's support, "they don't see this as a permanent partnership".

"There's all indications he's looking at Bill Richardson or Wesley Clark, or somebody else, and a lot of his supporters would be very unhappy if he did anything else," Huckabee said.

"People who voted for Hillary will end up voting for Obama generally, but I'm not sure they're ready to just have the wedding and cut the cake."

(Editing by Jerry Norton)