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The Republican presidential nominee has kept his selection a closely guarded secret, and it's anything but certain who'll he will pick. McCain is slated to announce his running mate at noon Eastern time in Dayton, Ohio, just hours after the end of the Democratic convention.

McCain, R-Ariz., hopes to turn the media focus away from Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama and generate momentum heading into the GOP convention that starts Monday in St. Paul, Minn.  There's a chance the convention could be postponed, however, if Tropical Storm Gustav turns into a hurricane and strikes the Gulf Coast.                                                                  Earlier Friday, NBC and other media outlets reported that Pawlenty and Romney were out of the running. One news report said Palin left Alaska on an early-morning flight en route to Dayton, but other reports were contradictory. Palin, 44, is a reform-minded governor in Alaska who's challenged the party's old guard, attacked pork-barrel spending and taken a keen interest in energy and environmental issues. A former Miss Alaska runnerup, Palin hold a degree in journalism and has five children, including one with Down Syndrome.

If Palin is selected, it could indicate a strategy on McCain's part to siphon off women voters disaffected by Sen. Hillary Clinton's loss in the Democratic primaries to Obama, D-Ill.

Until McCain makes his pick, however, Romney, Pawlenty and others cannot be ruled out. Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, also claimed he would not be Obama's choice several days before his selection.

During the vice presidential selection process, campaigns often use feints and misdirection to stoke interest in a candidate's selection....Read the full breaking news on Market Watch

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will deliver the biggest speech of his life tonight, as he makes history by accepting the Democratic Party's nomination to become the first African American candidate for president on a major party ticket. 45 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. declared, "I Have a Dream," Obama will be the focus of an audience of 75,000 in Denver and millions around the world.
The Illinois Senator will cap his party's 4-day convention, a gathering that stressed unity, change, and hope for the future - all key tenants of Obama's campaign. There was some concern at the convention regarding the lingering divisions in the Democratic Party following the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the primary by Barack Obama. However, the New York Senator made her support for Obama clear, erasing much of the tension Tuesday.
Wednesday evening, with the help of a plea from his former rival, Barack Obama officially clinched the Democratic presidential nomination.
Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., took to the floor of the Democratic National Convention and offered a motion to nominate Obama by acclamation, ending a traditional roll call of states that started earlier in the afternoon.
"With eyes firmly fixed on the future, in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory, with faith in our party and our country, lets declare together with one voice, right here, right now that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president," Clinton said.

Barack Obama named Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate early Saturday, balancing his ticket with a seasoned congressional veteran well-versed in foreign policy and defense issues.

Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee. Watch the first
Obama-Biden rally live at 3pm ET on www.BarackObama.com. Spread the
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Obama announced the pick on his Web site with a photo of the two men and an appeal for donations. A text message went out shortly afterward that said, "Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee."



Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.



Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has served at various times not only as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee but also as head of the Judiciary Committee, with its jurisdiction over anti-crime legislation, Supreme Court nominees and Constitutional issues.
In selecting Biden, Obama passed over several other potential running mates, none more prominent than former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, his tenacious rival in dozens of primaries and caucuses. Read the complete story on Huffington Post.





Joe Biden: Profile


Joseph Biden, the 65-year-old Delaware senator has, by all accounts, a superlative resumé.
Biden's leadership of the foreign relations committee is expected to benefit Democrats during a presidential race that could be decided as much by Iran, Iraq and Russia as by the US.
His son is scheduled for a deployment to Iraq this year, and he has a palpable affection for Barack Obama.
Biden, first elected at the age of 30, is a demonstrably skilled debater. Washington has produced few sparkling wits, but he is one of them.



His long history in Washington also risks undermining Obama's message of "change".
Biden, who dropped out of the presidential race in Iowa in January, is of Irish Catholic heritage but is in favour of abortion rights, a key issue in US elections. He originally voted to authorise the war in Iraq, but has since become a persistent critic of the Bush administration's policies there.
Born into a working class family in Scranton, Pennsylvania on November 20 1942, Biden is not a household name but was arguably the most well-known of those being considered for the vice presidency by Obama.



Biden married Neilia Hunter in 1966, and the couple had three children. His wife and 13-month-old daughter. Naomi. died in a car accident in December 1972, shortly after he was first elected to the Senate.



His two sons, Joseph R Biden III and Robert Hunter, were seriously injured, but Biden was persuaded not to resign to look after them and was sworn into office from their bedside. Both made full recoveries.



In 1977, he married Jill Tracy Jacobs, with whom he has a daughter, Ashley. Biden is currently serving his sixth term as a member of the Democratic Party. He has served for the sixth-longest period among current senators, and is Delaware's longest-serving senato.


Read the complete profile on Guardian

Texas rep. chef Edwards confirms to CNN that Barack Obama's presedential campaign has vetted him for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic Presidential ticket. Edwards also told CNN Obama has not spoken to him in recent days about his VP choice.