“He has to announce on the 19th,” one of my friends declared. “He gets back from vacation in Hawaii over the weekend, he’ll meet with the VP on Monday, and will announce Tuesday. It’s a sure bet.” However, this friend went with more of an underdog for his choice of candidate: General Wes Clark. Originally slated as a top contender for VP, his comments stating that McCain’s war record wasn’t enough to qualify him as president, took him out of the running in many people’s minds.

“Biden on the 20th,” another friend suggested. Joe Biden, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, would bring to the job the foreign policy experience people say Obama lacks. Having been in the Senate nearly four decades, however, choosing Biden for VP would go against Obama’s message of change in Washington.

With those options taken, I put my bet in for Evan Bayh on the 21st. This Indiana Senator sits on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, which could be seen as a way of countering McCain’s military experience. Bayh was also governor of Indiana, giving him executive experience, as well. I felt that his younger image would pair nicely with Obama’s youthful energy in the campaign.

Another strong contender for the Veepstakes is Tim Kaine, the Democratic governor of Virginia. He endorsed Obama early in the primary race and is also considered a “different kind of politician.” Fellow Virginian Mark Warner, Democratic candidate for Senate and former contender for VP, will give the keynote address at the Convention. This could either signal that Kaine will not be nominated veep, or it could mean that Kaine is still in the running, and Obama will focus more on Virginia this election.

The Obama campaign has announced that both Biden and Bayh will speak in Denver on Wednesday, August 27. Wednesday is the night that the vice presidential nominee will speak, and the theme is Securing America’s Future. I guess all I can do is sit, wait, and cross my fingers that I win this bet.

Now with yesterday’s indictment of Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), another recognizable member may lose his reign in the Senate. He is currently in his 7th term as a Senator and is up for re-election in November. But first, he must triumph in the Republican primary on Aug. 26, where he is battling five opponents to hold his seat.

Other retiring senators include Wayne Allard (R-CO), Larry Craig (R-ID), and Chuck Hagel (R-NE). Republicans must defend 23 seats this November, Democrats only 12.

The combination of older members — the majority of which Republican — retiring, and the youthful energy of change accompanying Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid, it is possible that fresh voices may take over the nation’s capital come November.

What impact do you think these retirements will have on the makeup of the Senate? What about on the makeup of Washington?

Is Obama reverting back to standard Washington ways or does this imply that he has reached a form of post-partisan politics? Some feel that shifting views is necessary in order to be elected, which is the campaign’s primary goal. Others view it as a way to show adaptability—a means of proving that the candidate is not stubborn and stuck in his ways.

Will Obama’s “zigzag to the center,” as Bob Herbert of the New York Times referred to it, be able to pick up enough moderates to make up for the voters he turns off by changing his ways?

Will John McCain start sliding toward the middle like his opponent? Or is it likely that his views will become more conservative to appeal to the right?

Just last night, Obama wrote Clinton a check for $2,300, the maximum amount an individual can donate to a campaign, to help make up for the millions of dollars of her own money that Clinton poured into her campaign. Though his contribution doesn’t break the bank, it symbolizes the Obama campaign’s efforts to make amends with his former rival’s – while trying to recruit the Clinton supporters to his camp.

Was this gesture enough to encourage Clinton supporters to do the reciprocal action and donate $2,300 to Obama’s campaign? Now that Obama has declined using public funds for his campaign, he must bank – pun intended – on the people who have previously thrown their weight and wallets behind Clinton.

Will a symbolic “unity” event in Unity do the trick? What do the Democrats need to do to rally the base?

Acclaimed as being one of the most impartial political commentators, Russert showed up to each show on which he appeared — “Meet the Press,” “The Today Show,” and a mass of other political shows on various networks — highly researched and prepared. He asked tough but fair questions of each of his guests.

Robert Novak wrote in today’s Chicago Sun Times, “Because of Russert’s preparation, appearing on ‘Meet the Press’ was like a visit to the dentist.” Yet, that never stopped serious politicians, authors, and commentators from appearing on the show week after week.

As NBC ponders how to replace Russert in his multitude of roles, the political world keeps its fingers crossed to have someone as fair and serious as Russert was when it came to his interviews, not just a talking head looking for ratings.

Though Russert gave me the cold shoulder when I tried to talk to him at the New Hampshire primaries — which I held an unfair grudge about — I join with the rest of the public in honoring his work and the developments he made for the industry. An expert in both the media and politics, he will be sorely missed.

Diving into the speculations, there are many options these men can look at. Clearly, many people in the Democratic voting base would love to see Clinton on the ticket with Obama, having the politicians work together to overcome their 18-month battle and unite the Democratic party. Others say that if Obama includes Clinton on his ticket, it detracts from his message of Change, going back to the Clintonian political era in the West Wing.

A suggestion for Obama running mate that sounds intriguing is General Wesley Clark. He has a similar voting record to Clinton’s, which could appease the Clinton base. He also holds a military record that could rival John McCain’s, yet he opposes the war in Iraq. He would bring experience in national security to Obama’s ticket, where so many criticize Obama’s inexperience.

Fewer rumors have been circulating about McCain’s pick for VP, although last night I heard a humorous choice. A radio personality at an awards dinner joked that McCain had selected Ted Williams to join his ticket, because 13 years his senior, Williams would make 71-year-old McCain seem younger.

Who would you like to see on each candidate’s ticket? What would they bring to the election and administration?

Some of the more cynical political analysts believe this book is McClellan’s way of righting his name in the public eye, disassociating himself with the drowning Bush administration. Some of the optimistic ones say that he just feels the public should know what went on behind the closed doors on Pennsylvania Ave. Perhaps the truth lies in a happy medium, as McClellan attempts to clear his name and conscience while making him seem less of a Bush lackey.

What repercussions do you think this book will have on Bush and his legacy? What about with the current presidential race?

Additionally, the rules committee of the DNC decided that it will seat the delegates of Michigan and Florida at the Democratic National Convention in August. This comes as both an advantage and a blow to Hillary Clinton. She stated all along that she wanted all votes to be counted because it wasn’t fair to the Michigan and Florida residents that voted if the delegates could not be seated at the convention. Now that they have seats, but only count for half of a vote, the delegate math still does not look favorable for Clinton. What do you think will happen?

She’s waiting until every state holds their primaries. She is hoping the DNC will allow the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be seated. She is banking on the superdelegates to boost her popularity in the party and her chances to become the nominee. Or does she have underlying motives?

A recent editorial in the Economist posed such a query. Some think Clinton is hoping to be asked to be Obama’s vice president. Others suspect that she is aspiring to be the next Senate Majority Leader if she garners enough good spirit within the Democratic Party.

But the longer she waits to resign from the presidential race, the more she could be hurting the Democratic Party in the long run. She could be fostering a divide within the party, with Clinton fans refusing to join with Obama supporters. She is also giving John McCain more time than the Democratic nominee to strategize for the general election.

Is she in this until the end just so she feels like she has not given up? Will she opt out in the name of party building? Or does she have another reason in mind to stay in the race for a while?

While the number of primaries remaining diminishes, we must wonder, when is Clinton going to pull the plug and what repercussions will that have?

For the teenage audience, the most memorable endorsement for this election was possibly Chuck Norris’s endorsement of former Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. In fact, Norris didn’t just pledge his support, but he threw his celebrity weight behind it. Norris appeared in a video advertisement for Huckabee, as well as television appearances with Huckabee. In the advertisement, Huckbee starts, “My plan to secure the border: two words – Chuck Norris.”

Huckabee and Norris go back and forth proclaiming facts about the others in the advertisement entitled “HuckChuckFacts.”  Playing off popular Chuck Norris lines, Huckabee states, “Chuck Norris doesn’t endorse; he tells America how it’s going to be.”

While Huckabee’s bid for president didn’t last, other celebrities’ endorsements have propelled the candidates further into the limelight.

Perhaps the first crucial endorsement for Obama was Oprah Winfrey’s, who also threw her celebrity weight behind the candidate and attended many rallies in Obama’s honor. Obama has racked up a number of influential endorsements in the political arena, as well. Some of the most notable ones included Ted Kennedy, Bill Richardson, and now John Edwards.

As more celebrities pick their horses for the 2008 race, we must consider, how important are these endorsements in shaping Americans’ opinions?