NBC: Bayh, Kaine out of Obama VP race
Officials said text message on choice will go out Saturday morning
MSNBC News Services
updated 6:33 p.m. PT, Fri., Aug. 22, 2008
EMPORIA, Va. - Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine have been told by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign they will not be his vice presidential choice, NBC News reported on Friday, quoting sources.

The Associated Press also reported that a Democratic official close to Kaine said the Virginia governor told associates of Obama's decision on Friday. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to discuss the development, the AP report said.

Speculation about Obama's choice has centered on Bayh, Kaine and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden. Other names in the mix include Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Texas Rep. Chet Edwards.

Obama and his campaign have offered little information but the Illinois senator said earlier this week he had made up his mind about the choice.

NBC News quoted unidentified sources as saying that Bayh and Kaine were informed they were out of the running.

Meanwhile, the potential running mates ducked, dodged and semi-denied their way through a day of political intrigue Friday as the Democratic presidential contender readied a high-tech announcement of his pick.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooooo," Sebelius told reporters who asked for her latest thoughts on the months-long search.

Three days before Democrats open their convention in Denver, several officials said Edwards, whose district includes President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, had made the roster of potential running mates.

Clinton's prospects remained unlikely. Senior aides said the Obama campaign had never requested financial or other records from her.

Officials said the Obama campaign had taken the trouble to print material bearing the names of several potential ticketmates — thereby minimizing the significance of a report that a printing company in Kansas was churning out signs bearing Bayh's name.

Obama told reporters on Thursday he had made his choice, and aides used the prospect of a text-message announcement to try and attract additional supporters by soliciting their cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Even that became occasion for intrigue.

Late Friday, several officials said the text message announcement would be distributed Saturday morning, a few hours before a scheduled rally at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., where the Democratic ticket would appear for the first time.

Hundreds of miles to the west, carpenters, electricians, sound stage gurus and others transformed the Pepsi Center in Denver into a made-for-television convention venue.

Tucked away in one corner were thousands of lightweight rolled cardboard tubes, ready-made handles for signs bearing the names of the Democratic ticket — once the identity of Obama's running mate was known.

Edwards, whom Speaker Nancy Pelosi had touted for running mate, told The Associated Press in Waco, Texas, "I have had interactions with the Obama campaign over the last several months but I will not get into details."

Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, evidently spent the day at his home in Delaware.

Kaine, a moderate governor from a swing state, boarded a private plane at a small airport for a flight that aides said would take him to suburban Denver.

"My answer to any question about the subject that I think you're referring to is that all inquiries should be directed at Senator Obama's campaign," said Clinton, the former first lady who came close to capturing the nomination in the primaries of last winter and spring.

Despite the advice, neither Obama nor his aides were saying.

"Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president?" Obama told "The Early Show" on CBS. Second, he said, was: "Can this person help me govern? Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally?"

And, he added: "I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a 'yes person' when it comes to policymaking.

Among those believed in the running, Edwards and Biden fit the mold of running mate with experience in defense or foreign policy — areas in which Obama is rated relatively poorly in the polls compared with Republican Sen. John McCain.

Clinton's credentials were forged in the primaries and caucuses where she ran a close second to Obama in the battle for the nomination. She maintains a loyal following among Democrats, many of whom have yet to swing behind the man who defeated her.

There was no shortage of other speculation, ranging from GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who traveled with Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan, to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, to Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

The emergence of Edwards as a possible selection was the surprise of the day.

Edwards is a favorite of Pelosi, who praised his "extraordinary credentials" on ABC's "This Week" on Aug. 3 and said: "I hope he will be the nominee."

One Democratic official with knowledge of the conversation said Obama told Pelosi recently that she would be pleased with the choice. Other Democratic officials said he was on the short list. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Obama's selection process.

Edwards, chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, is a nine-term moderate Democrat representing the GOP-leaning Texas district. He is well-known in Texas but does not have a national profile.