Guessing grows over running mates; Veteran Dem operatives expect Obama choice Thursday

[DeepModem Mom]

Financial Times: Guessing grows over US running mates
By Edward Luce and Andrew Ward in Washington
August 17 2008

Barack Obama and John McCain enter their final week before the start of the US presidential nominating conventions amid intense speculation about who they plan to choose as their respective running mates – with Mr Obama almost certain to make his choice in the next few days.

Mr Obama, whose four-day Democratic convention starts next Monday in Denver, will this week attend election rallies and “town hall” meetings in the swing states of New Mexico, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia – any of which could provide a potential venue to announce his pick.

Obama aides deny any knowledge of the possible timing or venue of what is traditionally the most closely guarded secret in a presidential campaign. But veteran Democratic operatives say the choice is likely by Thursday. The Republican convention in Minneapolis starts in two weeks. “Obama cannot announce during the Denver convention and it makes no sense in terms of the news cycle to announce during a weekend,” said one Democrat with no ties to the Obama campaign. “So I would be very surprised if he left it later than Thursday.”

Attention has narrowed to three or four names, including Joe Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former presidential candidate, who travelled on Sunday to the embattled country of Georgia to meet its president, Mikheil Saakashvili. Mr Obama, who goes into next week’s critical convention with a strong financial advantage over Mr McCain, is also thought to be looking closely at Evan Bayh, the centrist senator for Indiana, Tim Kaine, the governor of Virginia, and Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas.

Other possible names include Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and former presidential candidate whom Mr Obama will meet on Monday, Sam Nunn, the hawkish former senator for Georgia, which the most optimistic Obama operatives believe could be a swing state, and even John Kerry, the former presidential candidate and one of Mr Obama’s most vocal backers....

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/36d07254-6c82-11dd-96dc-0000779fd18c.html

[grantcart]

1. Didn't I see that he is scheduled to be in Virginia on Thrusday?

And that Wednesday is schedule free?

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I haven't seen a schedule, so don't know. Interesting, though! nt