Perdue asks Kerry to Withdraw his Name from VP Consideration

ATLANTA, GA July 2) - Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue today asked presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee John Heinz Kerry to remove his name from consideration as Kerry's running mate. Perdue cited "irreconcilable policy differences" in a crisply worded statement.

   "Senator Kerry's support for bigger government, higher taxes and economic pessimism make us a less than ideal match," Perdue said. "I admit I'd bring balance to the ticket - for instance, he has too much hair and I don't have enough - but even I am not conservative enough to balance out his left of left record."

   "Come to think of it, being on both sides of every issue could allow Kerry to bring balance to the ticket by serving as his own running mate," Perdue surmised.

   "I don't know if I'm on Senator Kerry's short list or on his long list," Perdue continued. "But I, like the vast majority of Georgians, would rather be on his 'do not call' list."

   Another reason for Perdue's desire not to be affiliated with Kerry is the undoubted brevity of the gig. "I gave up summer jobs a long time ago, and - trust me - the job of Kerry's running mate is going to be over in November."

   Perdue also asked the Kerry Campaign to make sure to keep his name off of the 70-member and growing "short list" of potential running mates maintained by the National Journal's Hotline.

   Perdue was inspired to transmit his message to Kerry by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson who sent a similar message to Kerry's Aspen ski-slope side campaign headquarters earlier this week.