McCain May Pick VP Before Beijing

John McCain is ready to announce his running mate, and he’s going to do it sooner rather than later, top aides tell the Washington Post. “He's in a position to make (the decision) on short notice if he wanted to,” said one adviser. The announcement will most likely come after Barack Obama returns from Europe but before the Olympics begin on Aug. 8.

The Democratic Convention comes hot on the heels of the Olympics, and the GOP get-together opens a mere four days later. Many aides don’t believe that four-day window is an optimal time, and they don’t want to announce during the Games. But none of the rumored front-runners for the job would say if they’d given background documents to the campaign for vetting. (More vice presidential sweepstakes stories.)