The long view.

Extract: Surveillance Transcript/Telephone Wiretap

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Hello?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Dick, this is John."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "John ...?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "John Kerry."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SUBJECT: "Oh, hi. How are you, Senator?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "I'm doing very well, Dick, very well indeed. But it's my unfortunate duty to call you to say that ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "I'm your VP pick! Oh, this is great! This is just great! I didn't think it was going to happen, you know. I just thought, well, Dick, history has passed you by, too many failed runs at this thing, too much union stuff, too much ... we're going to be an awesome team, John! Kerry-Gephardt '04! Whoooooooo! Whooooooooo! I am going to make you so happy you picked me, man! I'm just ... I'm ... oh, man, you know, I told myself I wasn't going to get emotional ..."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Dick?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Yes, John? I mean, yes, Mr. President?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "I'm calling to tell you that I'm NOT picking you."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Whaaaa?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "It's Edwards."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "You're freakin' kidding me."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "No. It's Edwards. I mean, he's young, he's ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "He's a millionaire. That makes two millionaires on the Democratic ticket! Are you out of your mind? Who's going to appeal to the regular Joe?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "I shall."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "You?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "When required, I can be very ... what's the phrase? ... comme il faut."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "I can't believe you led me on like this."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Dick, I did not lead you on. You jumped to conclusions, is what happened. Why would I have said 'it's my unfortunate duty' if I was going to tell you that you're my VP choice?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Because we're going to lose. But that doesn't mean I didn't want to do it, John. I wanted to fly in the big plane, just once."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Good-bye, Dick." UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kiss my ..."

CLICK ON THE LINE. DIAL TONE. DIALING.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "Hello?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Hillary, it's John."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "Oh, gosh, John. Oh, John. Yeah. Hey, listen, of course I'm enormously flattered and immensely grateful for the offer, but I really have to decline. Respectfully. I'm sorry."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Actually, I was ... "

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "I've thought about it and thought about it, and as much as I support you and the '04 ticket, I just don't think this is the right time for me, personally."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "But ..."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "But I am enormously flattered at the persistence of your wooing, I mean, good Lord!"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "I'm not ..."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "John, stop it! Really! I said no and I mean no. Don't beg."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Actually, I was calling to say ..."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "Once again, I'm flattered, I'm touched, but I simply have to decline your offer. Did you get that?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Get what?"

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "Not you."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Got it, Senator. We'll wait an hour, then release it."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE VOICE: "Great. Great. Well, John, good talking to you. And, again, I'm sorry."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "But I was ..."

CLICK ON THE LINE. DIAL TONE. DIALING.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Hello?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Tom? It's John Kerry. I just wanted to call to say ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Whatever. I just talked to Gephardt."

CLICK ON THE LINE. DIAL TONE. DIALING.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Hey! Hello!"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "John, it's John Kerry."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Whooooooooooo! John, I accept. I hereby accept!"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "But I haven't told you why I'm calling."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Didn't have to. Just spoke to Gephardt."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "Well, I think we're going to have a great campaign, run a strong campaign with a great message ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Right, right."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "... with energy and passion and joie de vivre and ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "... a major fundraising network ..."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "... appreciation of nuance and subtle textures and ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "... building a national organization ..."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "... certainly a sense of the historic mission ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "... poised to really put to my own use ..."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "... and of course, the debates ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "... a respectable loss this year that no one blames me for ..."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "... outreach, of course ..."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "... with name recognition and an organization for '08!"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "What?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Hillary'll freak."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "What?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Sorry, what?"

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "You were saying something ...?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE VOICE: "Just that I'm tickled to be on the ticket, John."

SURVEILLANCE SUBJECT: "I feel the same way. And now, allons-y, I guess."

CLICK. DIAL TONE.