USTIN, Texas - Saying he had made a final decision about his choice as running mate, George W. Bush last night extended the drama with a sly grin, refusing to name his choice or confirm reports that he planned to pick former defense secretary Dick Cheney.
But two Republican sources told the Associated Press and other media outlets last night that Bush planned to tap Cheney in a telephone call today, and that an official announcement was expected. Officially, Bush was willing only to narrow the playing field, saying he had not selected retired General Colin Powell.
''He made it clear to me early - and I mean early - that he just didn't want to be the vice president,'' Bush said, denying reports of a last-minute effort to recruit Powell. ''He made it clear, and when he makes it clear, he makes it clear.''
Bush also said he had told no one - not his wife, and not his choice as running mate - of his decision. ''I have not notified anybody yet,'' he said. ''I think it's pretty clear that I'd better start telling people pretty soon.''
The remarks, which were broadcast on the ''CBS Evening News'' after a day of frenzied speculation, did little to stop the rampant buzz among politicians and reporters that Bush was planning to name Cheney. The selection process seemed purposely orchestrated to keep a spotlight on the Republican ticket as long as possible.
Three days after it was revealed that Cheney had transferred his voting registration out of Texas, a move required by the US Constitution if he hoped to appear on the same ticket as someone else registered in Texas, Bush's aides still insisted the governor might make ''a surprise pick.'' As anonymous Republican sources began to leak word that Bush had in fact settled on Cheney, and Cheney began telling business partners that he would accept the offer, the Bush campaign maintained there was no way anyone else could know.
''I don't know how they could know that, because I haven't told anybody yet,'' Bush said of the early news reports.
Late yesterday, Bush communications director Karen Hughes issued this statement: ''Governor Bush tonight said he has made his decision on a vice presidential nominee but has not yet notified that individual or told anyone else about his choice.''
''Look, only one person knows the answer and it's not me,'' said senior Bush adviser Karl Rove. ''The person is Governor Bush. He's making this decision.''
Cheney, in a telephone call to a friend, said he had not been offered the position as of late yesterday afternoon. The friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Cheney, who has been leading Bush's vice presidential search, sounded ''exhausted.''
Cheney, who was a Wyoming congressman for a decade and chief of staff under President Gerald Ford, is widely viewed as a safe but unexciting choice. Now chief executive officer of Halliburton, an oil and energy corporation in Dallas, Cheney is perhaps best known for his role as defense secretary under President Bush during the Gulf War; several Republicans, however, played down Cheney's connection to the elder Bush, saying any of the potential finalists would have been somehow linked to the nation's leading Republican family.
Cheney will surely face questions about his work in the oil industry, for which he has been richly remunerated. On May 31, Cheney sold 100,000 shares of stock for $50.97 a share, bringing him a $5 million payout, according to a report of insider trading activity. Cheney's timing was very good; the price was close to the 52-week high of $52.25. The sale came after a period of rising oil prices, which would benefit the energy company. Since then, the stock has dipped and it closed yesterday at 41 11/16.
And then there is the matter of Cheney's health. Now 59 years old, Cheney has had three mild heart attacks, and undergone bypass surgery. But Hughes, the Bush communications director, noted that he has been in good health for more than a decade.
Cheney does appear to meet the requirements Bush first set down nearly a year ago, when questions about his running mate began to surface. Bush said his vice presidential choice would have to be two things - capable of assuming the presidency, and a loyal friend. ''I am going to pick somebody who can be president of the United States, and somebody with whom I get along,'' Bush said from the start.
Cheney brings no electoral college advantage to the table; Wyoming, a conservative state, is one the Bush campaign expects to win. And he has none of the star power of certain other vice presidential contenders - especially Powell and Arizona Senator John S. McCain, who lost to Bush during the Republican presidential primary season. Republican governors Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania and Frank Keating of Oklahoma, as well as former Missouri senator John Danforth, were also on the short list, and had been carefully considered by the Bush campaign.
But none of them would have allowed for such a dramatic turn of events: Just last week, Cheney was merely the man in charge of Bush's running mate selection. As of last night, he was the presumed candidate.
''I think it's Cheney. You know, with the registration change, that's what I believe,'' Danforth told the Associated Press.
The suspense, all part of the theatrical atmosphere Bush hoped to create heading into next week's Republican convention in Philadelphia, made for a chaotic scene outside the governor's mansion, where dozens of television crews and satellite trucks sat awaiting small clues of what might happen next.
Bush, returning home after spending the weekend at his Crawford ranch, shouted to the throng of reporters that there was ''no news today.'' With a mischievous look on his face, the governor then disappeared into the mansion.
But the guessing game continued. At one point yesterday, CBS anchorman Dan Rather reported that Powell was again being heavily courted for the position, causing a wave of panic among politicians and reporters who had concluded Cheney was the leading contender. Not until Powell's office issued a statement saying there was ''absolutely no substance to Mr. Rather's report'' - followed by Bush's own denial - did the rumor begin to fade.
''It's actually like sharks in a feeding tank,'' said Ron Kaufman, the Massachusetts Republican national committeeman, who said he had no idea whom Bush was planning to pick. ''If you drop the smallest droplet of blood, they go crazy.''
Glen Johnson of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.
