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Pawlenty and Bayh: A VP debate preview?
When Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh appeared Sunday morning on CBS News' Face the Nation, the question lingered: Was this a preview of the vice presidential debates? There would be no answers on this day. "Does anybody have an announcement here?" host Bob Schieffer asked off the top. "I think the Senator does," Pawlenty joked. "Well, we may make news this morning, Bob, but it's not going to be that," Bayh said. "So I hate to disappoint you, but nothing to report today." "Same answer here, Bob," Pawlenty added. So when will the V.P. answers come? "It could happen any day," said University of Minnesota political science professor Kathryn Pearson. "But I think it's likely that Senator Obama will go first." Pearson said the contenders could still be auditioning for running mate roles. There were glimpses of a V.P. debate Sunday morning. While debating the troop surge in Iraq, Bayh turned the focus to Pawlenty. "Tim, you opposed the surge," Bayh said. "So obviously, reasonable people can -- " "That's not true," Pawlenty interrupted. "Yeah, yeah," Bayh said. "I read about it in your hometown newspaper." Pawlenty responded moments later. "Allow me, if you'd indulge me in one correction," he said. "I did not oppose the surge, I said I was skeptical of it because I thought it was too late. Like Senator McCain, I wanted it to start earlier." Other McCain VP hopefuls, former Governor Massachusetts Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, also made TV appearances Sunday morning. Ridge is pro-choice but remains in the running. Even if Ridge is picked, he said McCain's adminstration will be pro-life. "He's a big tent Republican," Ridge said of McCain Sunday. "He's not judgmental against those people that disagree with him on that issue." On the Democratic side, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine made T.V. appearances for candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Both are on the V.P. short list and Obama will visit both of their states this week. Another possible running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, was overseas in Georgia. "I think the fact that Sen. Biden is in Georgia right now speaks to his foreign policy expertise and the value that he would have on a ticket," Pearson said. But at this point, Pearson feels the V.P. picks are still a big mystery. "I wouldn't give any of them over 50 percent odds," she said Sunday. She added that one or both of the candidates may have already made a decision, but they're waiting for the right time to make the announcement. Some experts feel Obama could announce the decision this week to get extra publicity going into next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver. Obama's campaign plans to reveal the V.P. choice to supporters via text message and e-mail.
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