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AZ budget game goes into overtime Redo budget, Brewer tells lawmakers Senate sends bill for Pima baseball-tax vote to Brewer Legislators OK change to Tucson elections Gov. Brewer follows through on veto threat, orders lawmakers to return GOP legislative leaders try to save budget deal Arizona lawmakers' budget deal stalls Political notebook : Sanford letter had unfortunate timing Tax proposals stall action until Monday Two Minutes with a Lawmaker : Republican senator discusses liberty, gov't, air conditioning

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Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl expressed some doubt in a recent interview that his seatmate, John McCain, will be elected president next month.

During a visit to the Arizona Daily Star last week for an editorial board meeting, Kyl resurrected an old quote from Arizona Democrat Mo Udall, who ran for president in 1976 and famously quipped that Arizona is the only state in the union where a mother can't tell her son that he can grow up to be president.

"Unfortunately, I think John McCain might be added to that long list of Arizonans who ran for president but were never elected," Kyl said, listing Republican Barry Goldwater, Udall and Democrat Bruce Babbitt. "Maybe, we'll be able to say Arizona's the only state where your child can't grow up to be president. Let's hope that doesn't happen," the Republican added.

"If it's not John McCain, it'll be another Arizonan someday," said Kyl.

McCain is running behind Democrat Barack Obama in nationwide polling, and the Republican nominee's chances of winning the presidency are hinged on winning a number of battleground states, including Nevada and Colorado.

He's the second Arizonan to be the presidential nominee of a party, after Goldwater, and, should he win, he would be the first president from Arizona.

Asked if McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is ready and qualified to be president, Kyl said she's "as ready as Barack Obama, and she's not running for president."

"She doesn't have to be ready on Day One, because John McCain is, let's assume, going to be in office for a while," Kyl said.

But in time, Palin would be ready, he said.

"God forbid something should happen to John McCain," Kyl said, "By the time she is required to be president, my answer to the question is: Yes, I think she will be ready to be president if she's called upon to be president."