ENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - Possible running mates for George W. Bush have received questionnaires asking background information, and the Texas governor has begun weighing the timing of his vice presidential announcement.
The main timing question: Should it be before next month's Republican National Convention or during it to create more convention-week interest?
A spokesman for Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating said yesterday that Keating had received one of the questionnaires, filled it out, and sent it back.
The questions covered family background, public policy views, past employment and personal tax information, said John Cox. ''It was rather extensive. It took him about a week to complete it,'' the spokesman said.
Other possible contenders, including Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson and Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel declined to comment amid reports that one criterion Bush will use in making his selection is discretion.
''Any information about whether I'm on any list will be disclosed by Governor Bush, not by yours truly,'' Ridge said in response to a question after a speech in Washington to the US Chamber of Commerce.
Bush has said he is actively considering ''a couple dozen'' people.
Since Bush's own nomination is certain, ''the biggest surprise of convention week or the biggest speculation frequently about convention week is who will be the vice president'' if there is no announcement in advance, Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said.
Hanging over the Bush selection is the memory of 1988, when the Texas governor's father, former President Bush, announced his selection of Dan Quayle after arriving in New Orleans for the convention.
The Indiana senator was not well known nationally, and he and the campaign were all but overwhelmed with questions about his background, especially his service in the National Guard during Vietnam. The issue of his preparedness for the vice presidency lasted through his term in office, and lingers still.
While the timing of a running-mate announcement remains unsettled, the strategy sessions have yielded several certainties about the July 31-Aug. 3 convention in Philadelphia.
Each of the four nights will have a separate theme, and there will be prominent recognition of the former Republican presidents, including Bush's father, and a ''high visibility'' role for Senator John McCain, Bush's closest rival for the GOP nomination.
