Honoré: I'm Not Running Against Vitter -- And I'm Not A Republican

Retired Army Gen. Russel Honoré, who has been on a daylong media tour trying to knock down rumors that he was looking at a possible run for Senate in a Republican primary challenge against Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), has given his most specific denial to date, the Louisiana Weekly reports.

Honoré said he did not even know Joe Berry, the Republican consultant who claimed to have met with him to discuss a bid. "I am not running for office," said Honoré. "I don't know who this is. I was not at my home two weeks ago. I have no idea who this gentleman could be."

He also strongly disavowed that he was even a registered Republican, and that an official spokesman named Charles Lamley had said he was not ruling out a run: "I never declared myself as a Republican during the Reagan Administration. I have never lived in Zachary as he claimed. I have never heard of Charles Lamley."

An Honoré candidacy certainly would have been interesting, pitting an African-American Creole general, who led rescue efforts after Hurricane Katrina, against a staunch social conservative who is best known for having frequented prostitutes.

But alas, it just wasn't meant to be.