Sunday talk show lineup for August 3

Fox News Sunday: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Meet The Press: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) & Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and a roundtable with Andrea Mitchell, Judy Woodruff and Chuck Todd

ABC’s This Week: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), former Gov. Tom Ridge (R-PA), and a roundtable with George Will, Donna Brazile and David Gergen

Face the Nation: Carly Fiorina and former Treasury Sec. Robert Rubin

Obama ad “Low Road”

Norm Coleman ad “Wyatt’s Mom”

DSCC ad “Giveaways”

Opinion: Tim Kaine will not be Obama’s #2

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine

On Monday, speculation over Barack Obama’s running mate reached a fever pitch when he and his top three campaign aides, David Plouffe, David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs, met with Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy, who are in charge of Obama’s VP vetting process. The meeting, which lasted three hours, was a signal to many that Obama’s search for a running mate had entered its final phase and that a pick was imminent (although when the announcement would be made is another matter). Then, around 8:00pm that night, The Washington Post and The Politico each published articles quoting unnamed sources close to Governor Tim Kaine (D-VA), stating that Kaine was “very, very high” on Obama’s short list. Soon, all media outlets began running with the story and the top three contenders were reported to be Kaine, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) and Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN).

McCain ad “Celeb” features Britney Spears & Paris Hilton!?

NRSC ad “Happy Ronnie Musgrove Day!”

Obama meets with economic advisers

Kaine responds to VP speculation

Andrea Mitchell & Factcheck.org debunks McCain’s troops ad

Factcheck.org analysis of McCain’s “Troops” ad:

It’s a fact that Obama canceled a visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at the last minute after planning it for weeks. And it’s a fact that reporters and their cameras would not have been allowed to accompany him. Furthermore, Obama probably did go to the gym that day, as he does practically every day. So the bare facts stated in the ad are true, but they don’t support McCain’s insinuation.

We can’t read minds and so are in no position to know Obama’s motives, or McCain’s for that matter. It’s unlikely, however, that the absence of press coverage would have been a factor in Obama’s decision, as the ad implies. Obama says he never planned to take reporters on the Landstuhl visit, and Department of Defense rules prohibited him from taking reporters on previous visits he made with wounded troops.

Reporters were not allowed to accompany him when he visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Medical Center on June 28. The small “protective pool” of reporters that routinely accompanies him was told by Obama’s staff to remain outside, in the van, according to a reporter covering the campaign. Similarly, Obama visited wounded troops in Baghdad earlier in his overseas trip, but he did so without reporters and “without a lot of fanfare, just to say ‘Thanks’,” according to Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who accompanied Obama.

It’s true Obama made time for at least one workout while he was in Germany. And he has been known to dedicate more than a few minutes to his exercise regimen. Two reporters who cover Obama, and who were on this trip, tell us that the candidate works out every day, and sometimes twice a day. However, the video of Obama playing basketball featured in McCain’s ad is from his time in Kuwait, not Germany.

Obama meets with Holder again

According to MSNBC, Barack Obama met with top VP vetter Eric Holder for two-and-a-half hours today.

Stevens indictment fallout: selected reactions

The National Review calls on Stevens to resign:

In 2005, when Sen. Tom Coburn introduced a measure that would have redirected the money Stevens had earmarked for the bridge to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, Stevens gave an apoplectic speech on the Senate floor in which he threatened to resign if the Senate passed the measure. It was the nation’s loss that the Senate voted the measure down, simultaneously missing two opportunities.

Now that a grand jury has indicted Stevens on seven counts of making false statements, it is time for him to make good on his threat. Stevens is of course innocent until proven guilty of the crimes with which he is charged. But even if he committed no crime, the facts that have emerged over the course of the federal investigation into his personal finances are damning enough on their own. The indictment was just the last straw.

Stevens’ opponent Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich:

The indictment of Senator Ted Stevens is a sad day for Alaska and for the senator after his 40 years of service to our state. The people of Alaska are resilient and strong.

I have great faith in our state and our people, and we will continue to move forward.

Ted Stevens indicted

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier today on seven counts of lying to federal investigators. Stevens faces a tough reelection challenge against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich. Stevens was supposed to be reelected easily, but in the past year, Alaskans have soured on him over numerous ethics problems.

Tim Johnson runs first ad “Headstrong”

Mark Udall ad “Facts”

MoveOn ad “Hope: It Could Happen to You”

Obama & top advisers finish 3 hour meeting

The Politico’s Avi Zenilman is reporting that Barack Obama’s meeting with Caroline Kennedy, David Plouffe, Eric Holder, David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs lasted just over three hours.

With the length of this meeting, it is safe to say that Obama will soon make (or has made) the decision on who will be his running mate.

Who will be Obama’s VP? Polling our sources

As it seems that Senator Obama’s search for a running mate is winding down, we polled our regular sources on both sides of the aisle to see who they believe Barack Obama will choose as his number two and when they believe it will happen.

Who will be Obama’s VP:

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)-4

Gov. Tim Kaine (D-VA)-3

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)-1

Former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA)-1

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)-1

When will Obama announce his VP pick?:

Before the Olympics-7

After the Olympics-3

During the Olympics-0

99 days…

In 99 days, one of these two men will be elected the 44th President of the United States.

Kaine at top of Obama’s VP list

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is very high on Barack Obama’s list as a running mate, according to sources close to Kaine. Keeping with campaign policy, the Obama campaign declined to comment on the report.