In the 2004 U.S. presidential election campaign , McCain was once again frequently mentioned for the vice-presidential slot , only this time as part of the Democratic ticket under nominee John Kerry . McCain said that Kerry had never formally offered him the position and that he would not have accepted it if he had . At the 2004 Republican National Convention , McCain supported Bush for re-election , praising Bush 's management of the War on Terror since the September 11 attacks . At the same time , he defended Kerry 's Vietnam War record . By August 2004 , McCain had the best favorable-to-unfavorable rating ( 55 percent to 19 percent ) of any national politician ; he campaigned for Bush much more than he had four years previously , though the two remained situational allies rather than friends
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
John McCain