CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, with all this talk about who Bush might pick as his running mate, the pressure is on Vice President Al Gore and his campaign in the run for the Democratic ticket. CNN's Chris Black is with the Gore campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Chris, you hear anything about the vice president's choice?</s>CHRIS BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not a whole lot, Carol. Vice President Al Gore has the advantage of coming second, so he can make an assessment of the impact of George Bush's selection before he has to make a final decision about his own running mate. The initial reaction in the Gore campaign is that the individual that George Bush picks is less important than the message that choice conveys to the public. There is speculation over the weekend about a Dick Cheney. They said they didn't think that Dick Cheney would necessarily help George Bush a lot; it could potentially hurt him, particularly if Mr. Cheney is viewed as a throwback to the George Bush administration, the administration of George W. Bush's father, an administration that voters turned out of office in 1992 in favor of the Clinton/Gore administration. The vice president, himself, is still well over a week away from making his final choice. He is still consulting heavily with Warren Christopher, the former secretary of state, who is supervising the selection process for him. Mr. Christopher has been interviewing candidates and conducting background checks. Meanwhile, the vice president was campaigning yesterday in New York and New Jersey. He flew here to Grand Rapids last night, and just a few hours from now, he will except the endorsement of the Sierra Club, the nation's largest and oldest grassroots environmental organization. The Sierra Club considered Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate, but they said they decided to choose Al Gore because of his long environmental record and because of what they call the, quote, "urgency of defeating George Bush." Chris Black, CNN, reporting live from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Election 2000: Gore Over a Week Away from V.P. Selection