new york times

As we warned yesterday, it’s silly rumor week when it comes to the VP speculation. From rumors about Obama naming his ‘mate in hours to McCain picking his location to unveil his choice, both campaigns spent last night shooting down reports about who, when, and where. However, the Obama camp was more emphatic about shooting down the New York Times report (which said that an announcement could come as soon as tomorrow) than the McCain camp was about the Politico story (which noted that the Arizona senator’s pick will come on August 29, the Friday after the Dem convention). By the way, there are three reasons why an August 29 VP announcement for McCain could be a problem: 1) it will come as nearly every political reporter — save those actually following McCain — is headed on a flight from Denver to the Twin Cities; 2) it occurs at the start of the Labor Day weekend, when many Americans are probably headed to the nearest beach or lake; and 3) it’s the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Still, the upsides of picking that day: 1) it immediately forces the national press corps to turn its attention away from Obama and to McCain; 2) it steps on McCain’s 72nd birthday a tad; and 3) it creates a little buzz going into the weekend of what could be one of those bad press weeks for the Republican Party, as many media outlets focus on all the Republicans NOT showing up to the convention and the Bush-Cheney opening night potential dud.