Obama and Bayh: Together All Day, But Together in the Future?
(PORTAGE, IND.) - Despite the vice presidential buzz surrounding Barack Obama's trip to Indiana today, neither he nor possible running mate, Evan Bayh, were prepared to talk.
"[Is] he your vice president?," one woman asked Obama during a brief stop at Schoops Diner where the two senators campaigned together.
"I haven't made a decision about my vice president yet," Obama replied and walked off to meet with other patrons. Several reporters pressed Bayh as well, but he wouldn't budge.
"What does the vice president want?" a local reporter yelled as Obama ordered cheeseburgers at the diner counter.
"You're causing trouble," Bayh said with a smile. A few minutes later, Bayh said he and Obama only talked about family and sports during their hour-long ride aboard the campaign bus.
Earlier in the day, the two men appeared together at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, where Bayh introduced Obama and urged the crowd to ignore campaign diversions.
"Tune out the political nonsense, don't pay attention to commercials that feature Paris Hilton or Britney Spears," he said.
But, after Obama took the stage, Bayh left and sat off to the side with other supporters. It was cautious move on Bayh's part, because had he sat on stage with Obama, as some surrogates do, he would have fueled the buzz.
Despite the careful movements and little words, the fact remains that Obama is expected to select a running mate very soon. Months ago, he told reporters that he will be the first to make his decision be known - meaning there will be no leaks to the press. However, with 19 days to go until the convention and no announcement in sight, all the pundits can do at this point is speculate.
Perhaps the presence of cameras hired by the campaign to film commercials may have added a tad to the speculation today - does the campaign really need that much video of Obama and Bayh campaigning side-by-side?