ATLANTA - John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, famously asked John McCain to join his White House bid, but McCain - the presumptive 2008 nominee for the Republican party - will not return the favor.

McCain told a town hall meeting in Atlanta on Friday that the two were friends but had very different political ideologies and that was why he declined in 2004 and will not extend the same invitation now that their positions are reversed.

That comment sparked a testy moment later on the campaign plane when a New York Times reporter told the senator he had never confirmed the fact that he had been approached by Kerry in the first place.

“It’s well known that I had the conversation. It’s absolutely well known,” McCain said, clearly annoyed either by the question or the Times, which ran a controversial piece about McCain recently about his alleged too-close relationship with a female lobbyist.

“John Kerry asked if I would consider being his running mate, and I said categorically ‘no,’ under no circumstances. It’s all very well known.”

Photo credit: Reuters/Tami Chappell (McCain at a town hall meeting in Atlanta)