JOHN MCCAIN'S VP SWEEPSTAKES!

There has been a lot of speculation today concerning the Vice Presidential choice of Sen. John McCain. Bob Novak yesterday had this on his website:

ENPR Special: Sources Say McCain Veep Pick to Come This Week

Sources close to Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign are suggesting he will reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip. The name of McCain's running mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation recently.

Jonathan Martin of Politico.com had the following article:

McCain closes in on VP

John McCain has narrowed his vice-presidential possibilities to the point where he considered a decision this week -- but he’s likely to hold off, say sources close to the campaign. The prospect of stepping on Barack Obama's much-anticipated overseas trip with the headline-grabbing news was discussed among the small inner-circle of McCain aides and advisers privy to the running mate decision, according to a McCain source.

This person declined to categorically rule out an announcement in the coming days, but other plugged-in sources said it was unlikely.

Officially, McCain representaives declined to comment.

But, relishing the diversion, they also did not discourage the speculation. “A smart feint,” one Republican source said.

One inner-circle McCain adviser said the longtime plans are to name the selection close to the Republican convention, on the theory that all that really matters is the final sprint to Election Day.

“No one is panicking about this week,” the adviser said. “Frankly, it is excellent for the press to be getting Obamamania out of their system.”

Rumors first circulated last week among GOP insiders about a possible July announcement.

The columnist Robert Novak touched off a frenzy Monday evening when he posted an item -- quickly linked by Drudge -- reporting that McCain would "reveal the name of his vice presidential selection this week."

The window on an announcement is, however, closing. The Olympics begin August 8th and run until the 24th. To ensure maximum news coverage of their pick, neither campaign wants to go public with their decision during the international spectacle. And immediately after, the Democrats begin their convention.

McCain, of course, does not want to make his pick during this period, either. The most frequently mentioned name for McCain in recent weeks has been Mitt Romney. Despite their heated primary, the two have seemed to become more comfortable with one another. McCain has showered Romney and his family with praise in recent weeks and also subjected his old rival to some mild teasing of the sort that suggests more affection than antipathy. In turn, the former Massachusetts governor has become a fixture on TV news shows, seeming to try out for the number two gig and promoting the man he once derided as insufficiently conservative to effectively contrast with the Democrats.

Other potential candidates include former Ohio congressman and OMB director Rob Portman, a favorite of Bush loyalists, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a reliable conservative and potential compromise pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and Conneticut Sen. Joe Lieberman are also prospects, but Ridge supports abortion rights and Lieberman, though elected an independent, hews to the Democratic line on that issue and others.

OK Politico Mafioso Readers - Yesterday afternoon after receiving these notices via e-mail, I made a phone call to one of my "McCain Insiders". The reports of the choice of VP are pre-mature. The choice will be made in the near future and my source promised to let us know when this occurs!