Senators John McCain and Barack Obama have yet to announce their running mates. Obama has suggested that they will announce his choice via text message and e-mail. John McCain has recently said he will let the secret be known on August 29:
That’s a week from Friday, and the day after his rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, accepts the Democratic nomination at a 70,000-person spectacular in a Denver stadium.
The campaign has begun building a crowd of 10,000 for Dayton, Ohio, according to an organizer. McCain is scheduled to appear with his running mate at a large-scale event in Pennsylvania shortly thereafter.
Senior Republicans are in the dark about who he’ll name, although they say former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty are prime contenders after a trial balloon by McCain gave him very negative feedback about the idea of picking an abortion-rights running mate such as Tom Ridge, the former governor of Pennsylvania and the first secretary of homeland security.
Sources close to McCain say he has wrestled with the choice, torn between a high-stakes, high-reward pick like Ridge or Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman — the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000 — or a safer and more conventional selection such as Romney or Pawlenty.
Friends say he has yet to make a final decision, and is not expected to do so until after Sen. Barack Obama announces his choice.
I have no idea who the Senator is going to choose. I am a little upset that Sarah Palin’s name isn’t on the list of names above, and that Joe Lieberman’s name is. If he picks Joe, he can expect to give Bob Barr a 15% share of the vote. That’s not me saying that, but big brained Newt Gingrich. I just happen to agree with him.
Hat Tip: Bill Harrison
The Liberty Sphere says that Obama is ready to name names:
Many believe that Delaware Senator Joe Biden is the odds-on favorite to run with Obama. Biden would be a good choice. He is strong in areas where Obama is weak, particularly in foreign policy.
But don’t be fooled by Biden’s ‘good guy’ image. He is a classic Democratic liberal who has made a practice of supporting everything conservatives, libertarians, and traditional Christians deplore.
Meanwhile, others believe that Obama will choose a wild card–someone who has not been publicly discussed as a potential running mate. My initial guess is that this option is probably more likely than Biden being chosen.
And then, Obama could potentially totally shake up the entire campaign in 2008 by choosing Hillary Clinton.
