McCain Camp Fills Media Void

(DENVER) With several hours yet before the Democratic convention kicks off, John McCain's campaign is taking advantage of the calm before tonight's big event to find ways to insert itself into the media spotlight.

McCain's campaign announced it will air a new ad tonight in which he will speak on-camera directly to Democratic nominee Barack Obama. The campaign will not comment on the substance of the ad but McCain communications director Jill Hazelbaker told MSNBC this morning it is a "historic" ad. "I think this is the first of its kind," Hazelbaker said. "Senator McCain is going to speak direct to camera to Barack Obama. I'm not going to give away many more details than that. But suffice to say it's going to be a very exciting ad, and I think it's going to get a lot of attention."

Meanwhile, speculation continues to swirl over the timing of McCain's vice presidential announcement. The campaign indicated that they would not roll out the pick today but the Drudge Report cites sources saying that the news will be leaked this evening. And as the chase begins to pick up, the potential selections are going to ground. Even if McCain's choice remains secret, the flurry of activity has provided McCain an opportunity to become a part of the story in Denver.