Bill Kristol: Sen. Thune might run for president

Bill Kristol said Monday that Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) is reconsidering his decision not to run for president in 2012.

Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard and a major player in the GOP, said Thune is "rethinking a bit" about launching a White House bid.

Pressed on the matter by C-SPAN host Steve Scully on the network's "Washington Journal" program, Kristol responded, "That's what I've been told."

The Weekly Standard ran an extensive profile of Thune last fall. Thune subsequently announced he would not run for president in 2012.

A Thune spokesman says that the senator "remains focused on his work in the Senate."

Kristol said he does not expect the Republican presidential field to be set until this November. He later said his preferred ticket is Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as his running mate.

Ryan and Rubio have said they are not running for the White House.

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