The Central Tabulator

by Jitendra Joshi Sun Jun 15, 4:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Sunday he would have to “seriously” consider another shot at the job if asked by White House hopeful Barack Obama.

But the former North Carolina senator, who unsuccessfully ran for the party’s nomination this year and was on John Kerry’s ticket in 2004, reaffirmed that he was not actively seeking to be Obama’s running mate.

Two prominent Republicans also denied they were in the hunt to be the VP candidate of Senator John McCain, Obama’s opponent in the November election.

Edwards told ABC News: “I’d take anything he asks me to think about seriously, but obviously this is something that I’ve done and it’s not a job I’m seeking.”

The comments of the anti-poverty crusader appeared to leave open some wiggle room, after he had told Spanish newspaper Vanguardia earlier this month that “the vice presidency is not a position that I desire.”

Obama has been stepping up a discreet search for a running mate, although the process has been hampered by the departure of his chief vetter, Jim Johnson, in a controversy over favorable mortgage terms. MORE