By Globe Staff and Wire Reports, 2/14/2000

ATLANTA - Hundreds of Georgians, lining the sidewalks of a shopping mall in a raw, wintry drizzle, were on hand to greet Republican Senator John McCain yesterday when his bus caravan made a detour out of South Carolina to bring McCain to a book-signing event. ''I am exuberant. I am optimistic we can carry this thing through,'' McCain shouted to the crowd before plunging into the Chapter 11 bookstore in the affluent Buckhead neighborhood to sign copies of his autobiography, ''Faith of My Fathers.'' Seeing that he could not handle the overflow in the two hours he scheduled for the event, McCain delayed the start of a fund-raising dinner in order to accommodate each customer. (Globe Staff)

Ventura muses about a call to become a running mate

WASHINGTON - Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura said yesterday he would consider running for vice president if invited to do so by John McCain. ''The senator hasn't called me yet, but you know if he did, I'd certainly give a little weight to it,'' Ventura said on ABC's ''This Week with Sam Donaldson & Cokie Roberts.'' The governor's comments came days after he severed his ties with the National Reform Party; last night, the party's chairman, Daron Libby of Londonderry, N.H., followed Ventura's lead and resigned from the party. Libby announced his decision in an e-mail message the day after he attended the party's chaotic national meeting in Nashville. ''I simply do not have the fire any longer, I cannot support the party in my heart,'' he wrote. (Reuters, AP)

Bush denies his campaign has used negative tactics

WASHINGTON - George W. Bush denied yesterday that he has used negative advertisements or telephone calls against GOP opponent John McCain, even after a tape showed the Texas governor agreeing with a supporter that he should go after his rival's ''soft spots.'' Both men have promised to forgo negative campaigning, and each has accused the other straying over the line in making negative attacks. Yesterday, networks replayed video picked up by C-SPAN after a campaign event a few days ago, in which a supporter tells Bush: ''You all haven't even hit [McCain's] soft spots.'' Bush tells the supporter, ''I'm going to, I'm going to. I'm not going to do it on TV.'' McCain said on CBS's ''Face the Nation'' yesterday that he found Bush's remarks ''disturbing'' and continued: ''He can offer his explanations, but I have to tell you it's very disappointing.'' (Reuters)