"EXTRA!! EXTRA!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!"
This story just hot off the wire over at Yahoo News:
www.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_el_pr/veepstakes;_ylt=Agjo5H4gD.TR_U.wY0So2Tes0NUE
EMPORIA, Va. - Barack Obama said Thursday he's chosen his running mate, but coyly kept all the details to himself as he campaigned with one leading contender and planned a major rally to present the Democratic ticket Saturday in Illinois.
Obama refused to say whether he'd notified his pick or when exactly he would send cell phones buzzing with the answer delivered via text message.
He didn't reveal his choice to Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, considered to be on Obama's short list, even after they met Thursday, according to two people close to the governor. They spoke on a condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Obama seemed to relish the frustrations of scores of reporters following him this week in anticipation of the announcement.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said with a grin when an Associated Press reporter asked when the text would be sent.
"I've made the selection, that's all you're gonna get," Obama said as he visited a store selling roasted Virginia peanuts as nonchalantly as any other day campaigning in a battleground state.
On the Republican side, GOP officials said late Thursday that John McCain has not settled on a running mate although former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty were under serious consideration. Two officials close to Romney said he had not been offered the job.
Democratic and Republican officials said both candidates were capable of making wild card picks that would surprise their backers.
Obama planned to appear with his pick Saturday at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., where he launched his presidential campaign in February 2007. Obama then planned to travel to the battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Montana before arriving in Denver to accept his party's nomination Thursday.
One person who had been vetted for the position told The Associated Press there had been no contact from Obama or his campaign about the decision. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Obama campaign asked candidates not to speak about the decision.
The Illinois senator was widely thought to be considering Kaine, Gov. Kathleen Sebeliusof Kansas and Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Evan Bayh of Indiana. None of them gave anything away - at least not in words.
Obama spent part of the day with Kaine, who reportedly told a colleague Wednesday that he believed he was on the short list. West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Kaine told him although he hadn't heard anything from the Obama campaign on where he stands at the time, "he really thinks he has a chance at the short straw."
Kaine and Obama met privately with the governor's staff for 15 minutes at a Richmond hotel. Afterward, Kaine said he would let the Obama campaign speak about whether the candidate asked him to be his No. 2. But two people close to Kaine said the governor was still in the dark.
Kaine plans to fly Friday night directly from Virginia to Denver, site of next week's Democratic National Convention, three people with knowledge of the governor's travel plans said. The plans could be changed if Kaine is told he needs to fly to Springfield instead.
Biden had a family gathering at his home Thursday afternoon, with his wife Jill, niece Missy Owens and son Beau, Delaware's attorney general, coming and going past reporters staked outside. Biden ran errands, including a visit to the dentist, but didn't speak to the media as he came and went.
Biden is a favorite for the vice presidential nomination among Democrats who think Obama could use his experience and tough campaign style. Biden has served 35 years in Congress, while Obama has served three.
Sebelius, campaigning for Obama in Iowa, said being mentioned as a potential running mate is something of "an out-of-body experience."
"Whoever it is, I am an enthusiastic supporter," she said but added she would leave the announcement to the campaign.
Bayh worked in his Capitol Hill office and later spent time at his home in Washington. He left wearing shorts and a baseball cap but told reporters outside he had no news to share. "Not tonight, sorry," he said.
It's possible Obama could make a surprise selection, although at least one dark horse candidate appeared out of the running. Former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn's spokesman said he would be traveling internationally until Monday, making a Saturday visit to Springfield seem unlikely.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a national security expert who has been mentioned as a possible candidate, was at his home in Jamestown on Thursday. He told an AP reporter that he was not Obama's choice and that he had not been asked for any background information.
New polls out this week show Obama is neck-and-neck with McCain and still has yet to win over some supporters of Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton. The polls sparked fresh discussion of whether Obama would make a surprise selection of Clinton as his running mate.
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Comments: 42
Bayh is boring, and the only reason to choose him is to assume that Indiana is going to decide the marginal electoral votes, and that is like how generals are alway fighting the last war. It would be a mistake, the dynamics of this election are going to change things.
Biden, that is too absurd. I could see Biden on the top spot, he is just way to smart to play second fiddle to Obama who more and more looks like a junior. Talk about how Bush took orders from Cheney. Biden is too far advanced for Obama, the VP election will make Obama look bad.
Hillary is about the same level, and has her plusses or minuses, and I made the prediction that if he did not choose her he was going to lose, and I have to stick by that.
In any case, this is going to be a weird election, and I think as the seriousness of things in the world loom large, the sort of hope-based choices the Democrats have made this time are at a disadvantage.
Biden would have been the best choice. Whatever we get it looks like on the Democrat side we have a junior person as the Presidential nominee, and either another junior, or a senior, the only possible way out of that is Hillary, and that still has problems.
Meanwhile, McCain is talking about Leiberman which is odd.
The idea of having two junior Democrats is unsettling for many people,
and having a senior Democrat and Obama smacks of equal opporunity
gone awry.
I have to say it until Obama can make some points and get his number
up where they should be, he should considering bowing out and doing
the honorable thing. Health reasons, security reasons, whatever, I just
think things are too volatile for people to be comfortable with that much
personal change, and undefined policy change. I'd like to be wrong and
I hope I am.
Hillary is the dark horse. Don't count out Obama's arrogance thinking he can tame her and Bill!
10 4 u
Regardless of who the VP picks are, the real issues are going to be integrity, fairness and legality at the polls. It's going to be a close race.
That being said, Whoo, wee!
> I think Hillary would be an unwise choice.
> She's not a second chair kind of person.
I don't know how you could say that if you even crack one
tighly closed eye open and take an objective look at her
life ... second chair as in the supportive wife since she married
Bill, since 1975, and only since 1992 had her own political
career.
I'd love to see Biden in the top spot where he belongs, and I'd like to see Obama win, but right now I am not seeing a consistent demonstration of executive ability from Obama. I do not see him getting the most out of his campaign advisors. I do not see him deviating significantly from what other Democracts have done before to lose ... change, when is change going to start? If Obama has a secret plan or strategy, if it works, great, but it is not a straightforward righteous attack at the heart of what the Republicans have done wrong with this country.
> Can you imagine the very real possibility of an African
> American/Female ticket and a Republican/Democrat ticket?
It is getting positively weird, and that is why I think the
Republicans will not do anything bizarre, but perhaps
Leiberman will be the only balanced person McCain can
find anywhere. His other Republican opponents were
basically wackos.
The thing is that McCain is not going to lose his
Republicans base. No way, no how. There people
vote, and they have a good machine in place, and
they do not want to see the Democrats win, so
as McCain was thought to turn off Republicans,
they are now rallying strong to him, and the same
will be true Leiberman or not.
Obama has another problem, despite his wanting to
play loosey goosey with his image to appear flexible,
I think Obama is a very brittle candidate, and he is
very likely to be easy to break down. I wonder if he
has not exhausted himself when we went on vacation?
I am certainly not going to be unhappy to see Biden in
an executive role in government.
I just see this vision of a political cartoon where it will
look like Biden as the strong man on the bottom, carrying
the skinny Obama on his shoulders. What a travesty.
I said this before in some of my articles, that Obama himself
ought to be able to know what he wants, how to express it,
and be able to judge if he has chance of winning, and if not,
he has no business playing the world like a slot machine and
gambling, this is way too important.
ME!
Well, I was his original choice. But then considering I'm a practicing witch that really would have thrown the evangelicals into a frenzy.
There were also concerns that I would push to put too many Gatherites in high level positions. So I had to bow out.
You may have something there, Julie................
Biden is the guy, at least now some of the "gaffe" producing pressure will be off McCain!
Watch out Barack, this guy is an accident waiting to happen!
It's now official...Obama can pack up his shine-box and go home...(laughing to myself)...
Barack called Hillary and said-Hillary,when you lose,you aren't owed anything.********* Thanks for running, Sweetie!!
Gather Broadcasting: Have it your way
This takes you in the back door. If you’ve already been, don’t click again.
Gather Broadcasting: Have it your way
This takes you in the back door. If you’ve already been, don’t click again.
And how many years did McCain work in the private sector? I honestly have no idea but it couldn't have been many!