Starting Gate: VP Mania

Is John McCain preparing to announce his vice presidential selection this week? Has Barack Obama really been spending all that time in the gym – or has he been giving the press a head-fake in order to hold secret meetings with prospective candidates for his number two slot? Or are we just entering that final frenzied part of the process where every utterance is magnified, every wink dissected and every rumor chased into the ground?

Despite yesterday’s report by columnist Bob Novak, there is little indication that McCain is on the verge of announcing his running mate this week. At a time when Obama is garnering some pretty fantastic coverage for his overseas trip, it doesn’t hurt McCain to have that speculation out there and give political reporters something to chase. But thus far, there’s nothing to suggest an announcement is imminent.

But the late-day chase was a reminder that time is growing short for both of these candidates to make their decisions. There’s just a little over two weeks before the Olympics open in Beijing, typically a dark period in campaign coverage. After that, the conventions begin. With the Democratic convention kicking off on August 25th, it could be advantageous to make an announcement before the Olympics in order to get the maximum play out of it. Or he may want to take the option of waiting until the eve of the convention, although such a move risks overshadowing the candidate’s message.

Many observers expect McCain to wait until the Democratic convention ends to make his choice, giving him both the opportunity to counter Obama’s selection and to step on his probable bounce coming out of Denver. But, McCain could decide to get out in front of things by pre-empting Obama and making a pick soon. At the end of the day, it’s all just speculation.

Guessing games aside, there has been a difference in the way these two candidates have gone about the process. Obama’s campaign has been a little more high-profile in its search. His team has met with leaders on the Hill and, while they aren’t talking directly, several potential candidates have acknowledged that they are being vetted. Far less is known about McCain’s process – or who he’s even looking at.

There are reasons for the differences. Despite his meteoric rise, Obama remains a relative newcomer on the political scene. He’s taking a crash-course in presidential politics and this selection will be the first presidential-level decision he’ll make. McCain, on the other hand is familiar not only with the process but with the prospective pool of running mates he has to choose from.

Looking at it that way, it can give voters a glimpse at the management styles these two candidates might bring to the White House. There’s an awful lot we don’t know about it but from outward appearances, Obama is going about it in a very methodical way – making a list, doing due diligence and checking off the boxes. McCain seems to operating more by feel than process, largely relying on his own counsel and instincts in pondering the question. That could be a flawed reading of the situation once the back-stories are known, but it fits with the characteristics the candidates have displayed throughout the campaign.


Around The Track

New polls in key states hold some encouraging news for McCain. In a new Granite State Poll for the University of New Hampshire, McCain narrowly trails Obama 46 percent to 43 percent. And a Detroit News poll has Obama with a 43 percent to 41 percent lead in Michigan.

The New York Post today runs the op-ed from McCain that the New York Times rejected.

Despite the high expectations, many in the Middle East aren’t expecting much change if Obama is elected, the New York Times reports.

Obama’s campaign is insisting that his trip overseas is not a political event but they’ll be filming his speech in Berlin, which is expected to draw huge crowds. Where will the footage show up?