Has Veepstakes Entered New Phase?

By Gene Randall/CNN

WASHINGTON (June 27) -- There were signs today that Bob Dole may be entering a new phase in his search for a vice presidential candidate. Or were there?

Dole says he'll have a running mate before his party's August convention in San Diego. Thursday, he met with two men some tout as strong contenders: former defense secretary Dick Cheney, a conservative favorite, and former South Carolina governor Carroll Campbell, instrumental in Dole's critical South Carolina presidential primary victory.

But afterwards, both denied there had been talk of the vice presidency. "Spent some time with the candidate, and I think...the campaign's in good shape." Carroll, asked if there had been discussion of the veep position replied, "No, no sir. This is strictly campaign. It was all good, it was issues. It was all good."

A Dole campaign official says there is no set list of potential running mates, but a well placed Republican operative says Sen. Connie Mack of Florida and Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson are also in the current wave of discussion.

In his book "The Choice," Bob Woodward said there was an initial list of 15 names, with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell at the top. Woodward says he's been told by someone with authority that Powell wants something else, "...that if Dole won and offered Powell secretary of state, the number one cabinet post, that Powell would accept."

Meanwhile, House Speaker Newt Gingrich is tossing some names around for vice president. They range from the plausible -- California attorney general Dan Lungren, Michigan governor John Engler, and Ohio governor George Voinovich -- to a category that might be called "Excuse Me?" In that group are California treasurer Matt Fong and Ohio treasurer Kenneth Blackwell.

Meanwhile, Robert Ellsworth, who is coordinating Dole's selection process says he may commission some vice presidential taste testing. "Are you expecting to use any polling data to help with the process?" a reporter asked him, to which Ellsworth replied, "Well sometime, we may, haven't yet."

There seems to be a growing consensus on one point, both inside the Dole campaign and among party insiders, that Dole must, above all, choose a running mate who is acceptable to conservatives. Says one veteran GOP strategist: Dole's most important job is making a selection that won't end up hurting him.

This story originally appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics."

Has Veepstakes Entered New Phase?

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