AS CLOSE AS THEY’LL GET McCain, Romney (Photo: AP)

George W. Bush arrives in Park City, Utah, at 2 p.m. today. Word is, he’s staying at Mitt Romney‘s house—Romney’s holding a fundraiser for John McCain.

But don’t get it twisted. A source close to the McCain campaign tells Radar that in no way does this mean Romney is looking for a VP spot under McCain. (He didn’t just blow $47 million to settle for a second banana seat, some have already pointed out.) The hospitality, says the source, is all about Romney building conservative street cred, proving that he can sit down with the likes of McCain and Bush and play nice so when he runs again in the next election, he’ll have established even more mainstream conservative ties.