Republicans McCain and Huckabee dodge talk of VP slot

By Steve Holland

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain and former rival Mike Huckabee dodged talk of whether Huckabee could be McCain's vice presidential running mate as they campaigned together on Friday.

Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee maintained his race for the Republican presidential nomination even after it was clear McCain was going to clinch the position, only withdrawing once McCain secured sufficient nominating delegates in March.

The two men, however, have developed a friendly relationship -- based in part on the chats they had while sometimes waiting lengthy periods for questions to come to them during many Republican presidential debates.

McCain considers Huckabee quick on his feet with a quip and likes his ability to attract conservative Republicans, who were cool to McCain during much of his race for the nomination.

Huckabee has called the vice presidential position a job that no one could refuse but also one he does not expect to be offered. That has not stopped pundits from speculating about the possibility of a McCain-Huckabee ticket.

The two men, joined by their wives, Cindy McCain and Janet Huckabee, joked their way through a 20-minute ride on McCain's "Straight Talk Express" after the Huckabees greeted the McCains at their airplane on arrival in Little Rock.

McCain, asked about having Huckabee as his running mate, said he was just starting the search process and declined to speculate about Huckabee's chances.

"If you talk about people's names, it rapidly leads to an invasion of privacy," he said.