

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del.

Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has chosen for his running mate Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., a man who once proposed the bottom half of the Democratic presidential ticket would best be filled with an unusual selection: Republican John McCain.

In two separate television interviews in the spring of 2004, Biden suggested the best way to bring unity to a divided nation was for the then-Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry, to select McCain as his running mate.

"I think John McCain would be a great candidate for vice president. I mean it. I know John doesn't like me saying it, but the truth of the matter is, it is," Biden told Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press."

Only a few months earlier, Chris Matthews of MSNBC TV's "Hardball" asked Biden if he thought McCain would consider joining Kerry on a "fusion ticket."

TRENDING: With only days to go until debate, Pelosi gives Biden an out: 'Why bother?'

"I think that this is time for unity in this country, and maybe it is time to have a guy like John McCain – a Republican – on the ticket with a guy he does like. They do get along," answered Biden, "and they don't have fundamental disagreements on major policies."

Leading up to the interview with Matthews, McCain expressed on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he might show interest in joining a Democrat on the ticket.

"John Kerry is a close friend of mine. We have been friends for years," McCain told the ABC morning show. "Obviously I would entertain it."

By the time he faced Russert on "Meet the Press," however, McCain had reshaped his comments.

"I will always take anyone's phone calls," McCain told Russert. "But I will not, I categorically will not do it."

Biden expressed both skepticism that McCain would accept and support for him if he did.

"Do I think it's going to happen? No," Biden told Russert. "But I think it is a reflection of the desire of this country and the desire of people in both parties to want to see this God-awful, vicious rift that exists in the nation healed, and John and John could go a long way to heal that rift."

When Matthews asked Biden if he would support John McCain as VP candidate on a Kerry ticket, Biden said, "I would. Yeah, if John Kerry said that's who he wanted, and McCain – I'd encourage McCain to say yes."

RELATED: Did fake signatures get Obama on Indiana ballot?

In the latter of the two interviews, Biden even praised McCain's readiness to serve as president. Tim Russert suggested Biden eliminate McCain from consideration and recommend another VP choice, but Biden refused, citing the importance of the vice president being qualified to fill the president's shoes, if necessary.

"I'm sticking with McCain," Biden said. "I think the single most important thing that John Kerry has to do is … to say that makes sense, that guy could be president, or that woman could be president. I think that's the single most important thing for people, when he or she is announced, say that person could be president."