Colbert King on Kerry and McCain: That, by the way, was the thinking of Maryland lieutenant governor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend two years ago when she tapped a former Republican, Adm. Charles Larson, to be her running mate. She, too, thought a prominent ex-military officer and longtime Republican on her ticket would appeal to conservative voters who weren't likely to look her way. It turned out, however, that Larson, a former Naval Academy classmate of McCain and a supporter of McCain's GOP presidential bid in 2000, was of little help to Townsend at the polls. Her party's most loyal constituency, African Americans, hurt by her snub of better Democratic candidates and angered by her taking them for granted, failed to turn out on Election Day as she needed. A McCain on the Democratic ticket would have put Kerry in a similar strained position with his Democratic base. A Kerry-McCain pairing might have been a dream team for pundits, editorial writers and the political elites. But John McCain would have been as hard a sell in urban America as Charles Larson was in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs. McCain did Kerry a favor by saying no. One more thing. Despite what Kerry may have been told by his handlers and fundraisers, his candidacy is not a sure thing in communities where concerns for justice, civil rights and economic empowerment are live issues. Townsend found that out for herself. Kerry needs to keep that in mind. His dalliance with McCain didn't win him any points in precincts that can make or break him in November. A man today told me "I don't vote for anyone I don't trust, and I don't trust either of them." I'd say the majority of the candidates I've voted for have been ones I didn't trust. But I don't think he's the only one making that calculation.