Inouye, Akaka would decline VP invite

"If you were asked, would you accept an offer to be the Vice President nominee?" That question was put to the 97 members of the U.S. Senate who are not running for U.S. President by The Hill. Only a selection of the responses made it into the print edition, but The Hill has published every senator's response, verbatim, online. Both of Hawaii's senators said they weren't interested... in notably different ways.

Sen. Daniel K. Akaka: “No. I think there are so many others who represent us so well. Coming from Hawaii, I’m here 30 years already, and I’d rather give the opportunity to somebody else.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye: "If I were asked, I would say, 'You’re out of your mind.'"

The responses from their fellow senators ranged from dead serious to hilarious. Iowa's Sen. Tom Harkin's reply? “No, I’d have Jon Stewart stand in for me. Jon Stewart. That’s my guy.” And more than one mentioned a dislike of funerals.