Barack Obama and John McCain Race to Choose a Running-Mate BEFORE Olympics

[tekisui]

Barack Obama and John McCain have narrowed their choices of running-mate to just a handful of names, with both candidates poised to announce their decisions possibly as early as next week.

Neither candidate wants one of the biggest decisions of their general election campaign to compete with the Beijing Olympics. The announcements may be made before the Olympics begin on August 8, or in the few days between the closing ceremony and the start of the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions in late August and early September.

“I’ll be selecting one soon enough,” Mr Obama said yesterday. “There are a number of great candidates out there,” – including, he said, Hillary Clinton. Mrs Clinton would help to attract women and white working-class voters who backed her overwhelmingly in the later stages of their primary contest. Yet Bill Clinton is a complicating factor and the former First Lady’s chances appear slim.

Mr Obama said that he wanted a candidate “I’m compatible with and I can work with”, yet he also faces a choice: picking a running-mate who reinforces his message of generational change, or somebody with experience and national security credentials.

For Mr McCain, at 71 the oldest presidential candidate yet, age will be a factor in his selection process.


link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4412713.ece


What do you think??? Both announce BEFORE Olympics? The Olympics run from the 8th to the 24th. The DNConvention starts the 25th. The Puke's start Sept. 1st.

[tekisui]

1. I think Obama should announce, this week. Ride the wave

from his overseas trip, leave the cranky one in the dust.

[Muttocracy]

2. their summary of Obama is kind of misleading - Brokaw directly asked

about Clinton, Obama didn't volunteer any names.

[hedgehog]

3. Sorry, I don't believe any speculation I hear from ANY British

new source. They all seem to have a tin ear for American politics even when there isn't a side agenda.

[tekisui]

4. What do you think of the timing, then?

[hedgehog]

7. I guess as long as the buzz is focused on various choices,

no one is shooting down a particular candidate, so it might be good to stretch this out a while.

[darius15]

5. McCain might, I doubt Obama would

I can see McCain doing it because he's been overshown the last week by Obama, and it's starting to show in the polls. My guess is Romney.

Obama should just announce at the convention, you can bet that all the MSM will be there to see the Dem convention and then the speech in front of the 100 000 plus crowd.

[tekisui]

6. Welcome to DU!

If Obama held out until the Convention, which he can afford to do, it would just create more excitement and more eyes on the Democratic Convention.

[book_worm]

8. I think O will name a running mate between the end of the Olympics and the start of the convention.