Sen. Mel Martinez on "Hannity & Colmes"

HANNITY: And as we move closer to the conventions, VP rumors continue to swirl. Senator John McCain was in Pennsylvania today, and during his campaign stop he continually praised one of the men campaigning with him, Tom Ridge, fueling speculation that the former governor will be his number two.

Meanwhile Senator Obama hasn't made his pick yet either, but he did say that his supporters will be notified of his selection by email and text message. Joining us now is McCain supporter, author of a brand-new book, "A sense of Belonging", Florida Senator Mel Martinez. Good to see you.

SEN. MEL MARTINEZ (R), FLORIDA: Good to be with you.

HANNITY: Welcome to New York.

MARTINEZ: Thank you.

HANNITY: Well, VP, who's a good choice?

MARTINEZ: Well, first of all. I think he's going to wait until Obama picks first. I think that will give him all the options. I mean, why show your cards until you have to. So I think that's the first strategy he should, he probably would have.

HANNITY: Well, Obama is going to pick either Evan Bayh or the Virginia governor.

MARTINEZ: Probably and I think Evan Bayh would be my -

HANNITY: Your choice.

MARTINEZ: Well, not my choice but I think my choice will be someone in the republican side but I would bet it would be Evan Bayh.

HANNITY: All right. Who would it be? If he came to you and said Senator, tell me your three top choices, who would your top three choices be?

MARTINEZA; Well, I've got to throw my governor in.

HANNITY: All right. Let's assuming will take Crist out of it.

MARTINEZ: You know, I think Governor Romney obviously has to be on the list, I think the talk of Governor Ridge is great, but on the life issue, there's a real conflict.

HANNITY: He got problems. He needs a conservative. I'm telling you I'm talking to conservatives every day. They want somebody to bolster his conservative --

MARTINEZ: I think Governor Pawlenty also makes an attractive choice but I got to tell you, dark horse, John Plume, my colleague, he's a great guy. A very attractive fellow, great family, and I think he'd be a real, ring a bell with conservatives.

HANNITY: Senator, the only issue you and I have done battle over is the issue of immigration.

MARTINEZ: Right.

HANNITY: And immigration reform, and I disagree with Senator McCain on this. McCain-Kennedy I think was a bad idea, I believe it was amnesty. I don't care how you spell in out. In essence, that's what it would be, I love President Bush, it was one of the areas I've had a disagreement with him on. I support immigration. I'm the product of immigration.

MARTINEZ: Right.

HANNITY: Why can't - why would we for all the people that have waited all the years and gone through all the bureaucracy, why would we reward the people that didn't respect our laws and sovereignty just get to stay and $2,500 fine? Why?

MARTINEZ: Well, first of all, let me tell you, I think immigration done right is what I talk about in my book, and I think it's the beauty of this country, welcoming people. The way I was received here.

HANNITY: I'm all for it, legally. Right.

MARTINEZ: And it was legal. But at the same time we've got a heck of a problem. We've got 12 million people here that we don't know exactly how to handle. And I think what John McCain said was correct, which is the country was not ready to accept a solution to the problem until we had our borders secured.

COLMES: Senator, you sent Obama a letter in June of last year thanking him for supporting the immigration. You've actually been very complimentary of Obama.

MARTINEZ: Well, look, he and I worked together on that issue, and there were moments when he left the reservation and wasn't particularly helpful when labor got in the way, but you know, sure, he voted for the bill in the end, and I wrote a letter to all those that voted for it.

COLMES: You also disagree with Rick Davis in the McCain campaign that Obama played the race card? You don't think he did.

MARTINEZ: Well, look, at that point, what I had said before the quote was taken out of context, is I had not heard what Rick Davis had said, I didn't know what context to what was being said, so someone took a little liberty with what I said.

COLMES: Do you believe that Obama did play the race card?

MARTINEZ: Look, I think that the response from the McCain campaign was appropriate given what was said because I think he needs to be very careful not to let himself - the way Clinton was played.

COLMES: When he said nobody looking like me has been elected, or people look at who's on the dollar bill? Was that playing the race card?

MARTINEZ: That's not necessarily playing the race card, but I think Senator McCain's people had to protect him. So that he wouldn't look like he was somehow the grieving Obama on the race issue. It's a very dangerous -

COLMES: One of the great dangers we've had on this show was on off- shore drilling. You're not for the gang of 10 as they're calling it in the bipartisan agreement to drill off the shore of your state, correct?

MARTINEZ: No, I'm not because frankly it gives a vote to the people of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, but it doesn't get Floridians a vote and that doesn't seem fair to me plus it doesn't do anything about ANWR. It doesn't do anything about (Shale) and the western states.

COLMES: So do you not want to drill off the coast of Florida?

MARTINEZ: We opened eight million acres for drilling off the coast of Florida, and I think there are parts of that Gulf of Mexico where we can drill. We need to do it safely enough away from our shores.

COLMES: So is John McCain wrong to say drill wherever we need to?

MARTINEZ: No, John McCain didn't say drill everywhere. He's saying drill where it's safe. Governor Crist and I agree we need to do it where it's safe and where Floridians feel comfortable doing it but we can do it some places in the gulf. We can open a lot of what today is denied to improve the situation.

COLMES: Senator, thanks for being here. Best of luck with your book.

MARTINEZ: Thanks.