Sen. Barry Goldwater came far closer to being vice president than he ever did to becoming president, according to a new book, “Pure Goldwater,” which was written by Watergate figure John Dean and Goldwater’s son Barry Goldwater Jr.

Everyone knows that Lyndon Johnson creamed Goldwater in the 1964 presidential election. In the electoral college tally, Johnson won 486, while Goldwater got 52. State by state, Johnson won 44 plus Washington, D.C., while Goldwater got six. In the popular vote, Johnson finished with 43.1 million, while Goldwater finished with 27.2 million.

So Goldwater lost the presidential race by nearly 16 million votes on Nov. 3, 1964.

Few people knew that a decade later, Goldwater finished much better in the race for vice president. In fact, he lost that contest by a single vote – his own.

Dean and Goldwater Jr.’s book includes a passage that Goldwater wrote in his personal journal on Aug. 12, 1974. Goldwater described a meeting he had the previous day with Gerald Ford, who two days earlier had become president when Richard Nixon resigned.

The topic of the meeting was Ford’s search for a vice president. Goldwater told Ford two criteria he had to consider: 1) Who would be well qualified for the veep slot? And, 2) Who could use the boost to run for the presidency six years later?

That second part, of course, presumed that Ford would finish Nixon’s term, then win his own four-year term. Jimmy Carter trashed that scenario, but getting back to the meeting on Nov. 11, 1974…

“Because of that, I explained that it would practically remove two people: Gov. (Nelson) Rockefeller, although I told him I could live with Rockefeller, and myself, because I would be 71 at the time,” Goldwater wrote in his journal.

Next, they discussed a couple of people. Goldwater suggested George Bush, who at the time was 50. They also discussed Ford’s idea of selecting a black Republican for vice president. After a while, Ford offered Goldwater the job.

“Finally, he asked point blank if I would take it. I said, certainly, I’ll do anything you want me to do; I’ll do anything to serve my country, but I do not want the job,” Goldwater wrote in the journal.

He explained his thoughts for turning down the job.

“I did not say this in an arrogant or conceited way, for I think I could do a good job for the president and the Republican Party at the same time. I think the Party is important because we cannot lose any more strength in the Party and remain a viable part of the two-party system,” Goldwater wrote.

Goldwater just figured a younger person was better suited for the post. The Republicans were still coming out of Watergate and he figured the party needed new young leaders.

A few of interesting footnotes:

1. Ford, in fact, went with Rockefeller, the New York governor, as his vice president.

2. Goldwater’s man, Bush, eventually got the job. Bush served as Ronald Reagan’s vice president from 1981 through 1989, then succeeded Reagan as president from 1989 through 1993.

3. This year’s GOP presidential nominee, John McCain, will be 72 on Election Day, which is a year older than Goldwater thought was too old to become president.