It is "possible but not probable" that Republican Mitt Romney would be Sen. John McCain's pick for vice president, the former Massachusetts governor told the Intelligencer Journal on Thursday.

Romney, seen as the favorite to capture the GOP presidential nomination before his campaign faded in February, appeared as the keynote speaker Thursday night at a Lancaster County Republican banquet at Willow Valley Resort's Palm Court.

Romney noted it was the first time he's headlined a banquet to speak on McCain's behalf, though he recently campaigned for the Arizona senator in western states.

Before the banquet, Romney answered questions during a one-on-one telephone interview, talking about the economy, McCain and whether the sting of losing the nomination has gone away.

"I'm not depressed in any way," Romney said. "I come away greatly enriched by the friends you make."

Speculation continues to grow as to whether Romney's name will appear on the Republican ticket as McCain's running mate, which could play toward conservatives who supported Romney and continue to question McCain's moderate Senate record.

Romney said he and McCain have not discussed the matter.

"I believe any leading Republican leader would be honored to be part of the ticket with Senator McCain," Romney said. "I do not believe it's likely that I would be asked to be that person. He has a lot of great Republicans to choose from, and I think he's far more likely not to pick somebody who was a rival in the primary."

Scott Martin, a Republican Lancaster County commissioner, guaranteed a Republican victory in Pennsylvania this fall because, he said, McCain would appeal to Independents and voters in the Philadelphia suburbs, where Democrats have been gaining significant strength in historically strong Republican areas.

Martin said having Romney on the ticket would make McCain stronger.

"Having Romney, it would make a lot of people happy, especially on the economic front," Martin said.

Before serving one term as governor of Massachusetts, Romney founded a successful investment company and oversaw operation of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Romney — articulate, measured and smooth-talking — spoke for 25 minutes to about 500 Republicans, taking strong aim at Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama while boosting McCain's plans for health care, the economy and the Iraq War.

That Romney would appear in Republican-dominated Lancaster County as a surrogate of the McCain campaign is a reversal of sorts. Romney and McCain had a harsh rivalry during the early months of the Republican primary, with Romney questioning McCain's credentials.

Romney said before the banquet that while he differed with McCain on many issues, he never stopped respecting the former Vietnam War POW.

"I called him time and again an American hero and a friend," Romney said. "There were places we had differences on relevant issues, but he won and I lost."

Romney would not say which Democrat, Clinton or Obama, he'd prefer in the general election, but he said Obama seemed ripe for defeat.

"The contrast against Barack Obama would be clearer in people's minds because his utter lack of experience on the economy and national security would be starkly different than that of Senator McCain," Romney said.

The GOP banquet provided a preview of how Republicans in Pennsylvania intend to target either Obama or Clinton, depending on who emerges victorious in the Democratic primary.

Robert Gleason Jr., the state GOP chairman, pointed to Clinton's embellishment of a 1996 Bosnia trip she took as first lady, saying she had ducked sniper fire upon arrival even though archival footage disproved her story.

"She is not above lying to work her way back to the White House," Gleason said.

He then pointed to the National Journal, a conservative publication, which labeled Obama as the most liberal Democratic candidate.

Recently, Gleason said, Obama told a Pennsylvania crowd he would give his two daughters information about sex because he doesn't "want them punished with a baby."

"I know the Republicans and Democrats in Lancaster County don't believe having a baby is punishment," Gleason said.

He then pointed to Pennsylvania's 1.28 million veterans, saying as a voting bloc they would overwhelmingly support McCain, who served as a Navy pilot.

Romney characterized the Democrats' plans for the ailing economy as nothing more than raising taxes and increasing regulation — stifling potential business and personal financial growth, he said.

"I just don't believe they fundamentally understand how the economy works," Romney said.

Romney's appearance in Lancaster drew about two dozen supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who continues to run for president even though McCain already has more than enough Republican delegates to receive the GOP nomination.

Toting campaign signs, the Paul supporters lined both sides of Route 272 outside Willow Valley's entrance.

Max Mink, 27, of Lancaster, said he believes Paul could still win the Republican nomination and that Paul's supporters had gathered at the Romney banquet to "wake people up to the fact that our government has overstretched their authority."

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com