McCain: I Don't Listen to Rush Limbaugh

Sen. John McCain is winning some mega-conservative endorsements, but one big fish he's unlikely to catch is radio host Rush Limbaugh.

The McCain campaign announced this week that Steve Forbes, former adviser to Rudy Giuliani, was now backing him.

Former Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles, a conservative stalwart, also has endorsed his former colleague.

Still, McCain told the press on his campaign plane Friday that he is actively reaching out to conservative critics.

"Part of what you do is what we're already doing -- Steve Forbes, [former Texas Sen.] Phil Gramm, [former Housing and Urban Development Secretary] Jack Kemp, Don Nickles, the list goes on and on of well-respected conservatives," McCain said. "We'll be talking to 'em, we'll be going to their gatherings and explaining my conservative credentials."

McCain also said that he had no expectation Limbaugh would back his candidacy, though he would be open to such a gesture.

McCain noted that he did not see himself appearing on Limbaugh's radio show because he does not have guest interviews.

When reporters pointed out that indeed Limbaugh has phone-in guests like Vice President Dick Cheney, McCain responded: "I don't listen to him very much. There's a certain trace of masochism in my family, but not that deep."