Cox VP rumors heat up again

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- If you haven’t heard the rumors swirling about Rep.

Chris Cox (R-Newport Beach), put your ear closer to the ground.

Can you hear it? Veeee-peeee. Veeee-peee.

For the next four months, speculation will be rampant as to whom GOP

presidential candidate George W. Bush will select for his running mate in

the November election. Cox, an ardent Bush supporter, unwittingly entered

the fray when Newsweek magazine hinted he might be a well-suited

candidate for vice president, given his expertise with foreign policy.

“I suspect I’m doing better with the editors at Newsweek than I am with

the Bush camp,” cracked Cox, who recently traveled to Russia for its

presidential elections. “His short list of candidates could fill a

CD-ROM. There have been many people who have supported him. He has a

pretty strong bench to draw from.”

The glowing publicity is nothing new for the 48-year-old congressman, who

is the fourth-ranking member of the House Republican leadership. When

former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich relinquished his post nearly

two years ago, Cox’s name was bounced around to replace him.

Cox even appeared on “Larry King Live” and expressed his interest. Alas,

speakership wasn’t in the cards for Cox, who withdrew his name for the

sake of party unity.

And in 1996, rumors circled about Cox being high on former Sen. Bob

Dole’s presidential candidate list of running mates. But Dole instead

opted for Jack Kemp, and the pair lost overwhelmingly to Bill Clinton and

Al Gore.

This time, though, the stakes are higher.

Should the Texas governor pick Cox for his vice presidential running

mate, Orange County would certainly receive more exposure. Cox has beaten

the campaign drum the loudest here in the county, an area that is

considered a GOP stronghold.

“Cox is a natural for the ticket because he’s a Californian and the state

is critical for the party’s success,” said Tom Fuentes, county chairman

of the Republican Party. “He is recognized in Congress as an outstanding

leader and he’s an unquestionable conservative. His having been in the

White House before and his experience on Capitol Hill serve very well for

the role of vice president.”

Cox was an advisor in the Reagan White House and worked with the current

candidate’s father, George Bush, as counsel during his presidency.

Cox was also heralded for helping release a report that discovered China

had accumulated numerous nuclear warhead designs and military secrets

over the last 20 years. And he has burned rubber on the information

superhighway by drafting a bill that would place a moratorium on taxing

Internet commerce.

Newsweek observed that Cox may be superior in the intellectual department

to Bush and “too big a brain might highlight [Bush’s] deficit.”

“It’s still premature to discuss potential vice president candidates,”

said Bush spokesperson Scott McClellan. “Gov. Bush said he will select

someone who is conservative, loyal and ready to be president of the

United States.”

Cox said he won’t pay much attention to the rumors that are bound to

build as the Republican convention nears. But he conceded he would take

the job if offered to him.

“Of course I would ... it would be an honor,” he said. “This would be

very different from the speakership. You don’t run for this job. It’s

like the Irish sweepstakes of American politics.”