ITTSBURGH - Formally ending a protracted rift within the Republican Party, Senator John McCain of Arizona yesterday endorsed George W. Bush for president, saying the Texas governor has the vision, knowledge, and expertise to maintain the country's place in the world.
But despite their occasional attempts at levity, the body language between Bush and McCain appeared uncomfortable as they answered reporters' questions. At times, McCain looked pained to be praising his former adversary in the race for the Republican nomination.
''I think ... `take the medicine now' is probably a good description,'' McCain said with a weak smile, explaining his decision to offer words of support yesterday following a private, 90-minute meeting with Bush, rather than wait until later in the year as he had originally planned.
But McCain did not utter the word ''endorse'' until a reporter asked him about that omission. The senator responded by saying, ''I endorse Governor Bush'' a half-dozen times, drawing laughter.
The get-together at the grand old William Penn Hotel here combined the atmospherics of a serious summit between two world leaders, and an out-of-control media carnival. There were Secret Service agents slowly checking every person for weapons, and there were hangers-on attempting to inject their own message into the mix.
The Democratic National Committee, for example, distributed a compact disc called ''McComity Central.'' On each track, McCain can be heard ridiculing Bush's experience, his credentials as a reformer, and his plans to cut taxes.
Not to be outdone, the Republican National Committee put out its own brief against Vice President Al Gore using the words of Democratic Senators Bob Kerrey, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Paul Wellstone, and Bill Bradley. In addition, Representative J.D. Hayworth of Arizona, a Republican, crashed the Democrats' press conference, questioning DNC cochairman Joe Andrew about Gore's campaign-finance problems.
But the spotlight was reserved for the two Republicans who had struggled mightily against one another in the primaries. When they met, it was without aides or entourage, just two men in a hotel suite talking over coffee and danish. Neither offered an apology for conduct that occurred or words that were uttered during the winter, and neither man asked for one.
''I look forward, and not back,'' McCain said. ''I hold no rancor.''
Said Bush: ''I told him point-blank he made me a better candidate. He waged a really good campaign. And he put me through my paces. And as a result of the campaign ... I'm better prepared to become the president.''
McCain promised to campaign ''enthusiastically'' for Bush and for Republicans running for the House and Senate in the coming six months, and Bush said he expects McCain to be featured prominently at the Republican convention.
Asked whether he had ''popped the question'' to McCain about the vice presidency, Bush said he had sought McCain's advice on the subject.
''And I asked that I not be considered for vice president of the United States,'' McCain quickly interjected.
Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania would make a good choice, McCain said, as would the governors of New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Michigan, among others.
Asked if he would consider a Cabinet position, McCain joked, ''secretary of reform.''
Both men asserted their independence yesterday. Bush refused to express any disapproval of the Rev. Pat Robertson for saying that a McCain vice presidency would be ''very dangerous.'' Later, McCain aides said the senator was upset that Bush would not repudiate Robertson's comments.
For his part, McCain made clear that he still disagrees with Bush on a variety of topics. His endorsement of Bush would not keep him from working on the causes he championed during his bid for the nomination, he said.
''I'd like to say that I will not give up on the reform agenda,'' McCain said. ''And I want to assure those people that supported me in the primary that I will continue to pursue this agenda. They are not contradictory to my support of Governor Bush.''
McCain did say that he and Bush agreed on approaches to education, health care, and the military. And Bush said they both think it is time to change Social Security, allowing people to invest some of their payroll taxes in the stock market.
''John and I both agree we must trust younger workers with some of their money in the private sector,'' Bush said, citing the program as a key difference between him and Gore.
As late as Monday night, McCain had said he would not decide on an endorsement until he saw how the meeting in Pittsburgh went.
But it is in the best interests of both men to move beyond their bruised feelings, despite the obvious strain.
Bush campaign officials are hoping that independent voters who flocked to McCain during the primaries will swing to Bush in November, with a little push from the senator. And because McCain hopes to run for president again, according to close associates, he needs to show loyalty to the Republican Party.
During the primaries, McCain repeatedly criticized Bush for proposing to spend too much of the nation's surplus on a tax cut at the expense of shoring up Social Security and Medicare and paying down the national debt.
Bush did not respond to the charge while campaigning in New Hampshire and subsequently lost the state to McCain by 19 points. In South Carolina, however, Bush began to fire back, objecting vociferously when McCain compared Bush to President Clinton. Bush later suggested that McCain would cut federal funds for breast cancer research.
In Michigan, McCain blasted Bush in a pitch to Catholic voters for failing to repudiate the teachings of Bob Jones University in South Carolina, where interracial dating was banned at the time and where the pope has been compared to Satan.
