Barack Obama creates a splash by announcing a campaign event Saturday that most bloggers are interpreting as the day Obama will unveil his running mate. Reports that former vice president Al Gore will speak shortly before Obama on Thursday night at the Democratic convention have some wondering if he is Obama's pick. And John McCain's reported trial balloon sent up last week about a pro-choice candidate points right at former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), not former Gov. Tom Ridge (R-Pa.) or Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), conservative bloggers predict.

The Obama campaign has reserved the old Illinois state capitol, where the Illinois Democrat announced his campaign, for an event at noon on Saturday that many expect will be the first public appearance Obama makes with his running mate, Lynn Sweet reports. Marc Ambinder doesn't believe the announcement will come much earlier than Saturday, writing that the best hint of who the pick will be is whoever has the lowest public profile in the coming days.

Gore will join Obama and 70,000 supporters at Invesco Field on the last night of the Democratic Convention, Political Ticker reports. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein writes that this will surely put Gore in focus for the veepstakes, but points out Gore has stuck firmly to not wanting to be the second name on the ticket again.

And many conservatives are starting to think the McCain camp is leaning toward Giuliani, writes The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez. The conservative blogger points out Giuliani staffers are already installed on the undeclared veep's communications team. Hot Air's Ed Morrissey agrees that the trial balloon may have been for Giuliani, but thinks the former mayor would not add anything that valuable to the McCain campaign that the candidate himself doesn't possess.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Schooling Goldfarb - DarrkSyde, Daily Kos
McCain's Website Needs Calculator - RedState
Saturday in Springfield - Marc Ambinder
Obama Echoes Biden - Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Was Rudy the Trial Balloon? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Gore - Sam Stein, The Huffington Post
VP Timing Critical - Patrick Ruffini, Red State
Gore to Speak Thursday - Political Ticker

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Responds to McCain at VFW - New York Times
Obama Returns Home to Launch Pre-Convention Tour - The Hill
Rice: Russia Isolating Itself - AFP

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) will speak at the Democratic convention in Denver, the party's convention committee announced this afternoon.

Daley will speak on Wednesday night of the convention, along with former President Bill Clinton, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Wednesday night's theme is "Securing America's Future." The Democratic National Convention Committee explains the theme thusly: "Barack Obama offers a new, tough foreign policy that is neither Republican nor Democratic, but is a strong, smart American foreign policy to make our country more secure and advance our interests in the world. Wednesday night’s Convention program will feature the voices of Americans who share Barack’s vision of making America stronger and safer."

Barack Obama is returning to the old Illinois state capitol Saturday for a campaign event that is only described as "free and open to the public," indicating that it may be the event where Obama unveils his running mate. Obama kicked off his presidential campaign at the old state capitol over a year ago.

The event will likely further intensify, if still possible, the veep speculation centered around Saturday.

But while the Obama campaign has been tight-lipped about swirling veep rumors, it did leave a few potential bread crumb in the email announcing the event.

First, the campaign inform the press that credential requests are due Wednesday, well ahead of the event, because it expects "limited" space. Second, the event is kicking off a four-city tour through swing states, on which, it is assumed, the vp will be accompanying Obama.

John McCain is continuing his tax-based assault on Barack Obama, now in Spanish.

McCain's campaign this afternoon released a Spanish-language radio ad to air in Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico, in which a narrator tells listeners (as translated) that an Obama presidency would bring "painful" new taxes on "income, electricity, small businesses, seniors, your life savings, your family."

The Spanish-speaking narrator assumes a middle-class audience, as she says Obama has a history of raising taxes "even on hard-working people like us making $42,000 a year." That claim references Obama's vote for a budget resolution that, according to FactCheck.org, would have effectively raised taxes on individuals making as little as $41,500 by allowing President Bush's tax cuts to expire.

McCain has aggressively courted the Hispanic vote with a series of Spanish ads in Florida and western states, though Obama holds a 66 percent to 23 percent lead among th group, according to a Pew Research Center poll released in late July.

Listen to the ad here.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) today cautioned that this presidential election could mark a turning point in U.S. defense policy, as it will be the first wartime presidential transition since the Vietnam era.

"This will be the first Presidential transition to occur during a time of war in many years. In addition, the next administration will face enormous budget pressures caused by an increase in the national debt that will have nearly doubled since 2001," Skelton said.

Skelton used the cautionary comment to introduce his list of the top 10 defense-related challenges the next administration will face. Skelton cautioned that the next president–whether it be Barack Obama or John McCain–must address the list of broad policy concerns in order to protect the U.S. and respect its military men and women.

The list included rebuilding America's foreign policy credibility, refocusing military efforts on Afghanistan, withdrawing from Iraq, maintaining troop readiness, reforming Defense Department coordination with the State Department, determining budget priorities for maintaining vs. modernizing equipment, and developing a more comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy that includes "communications strategies" and development assistance.

Skelton said those challenges will "require sustained spending and the partnership of the Congress" with the new administration, regardless of which party takes the White House.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is dismissing the chatter that he is on Barack Obama's short list of vice presidential picks.

"I wouldn't pay any attention to that," the 2004 democratic presidential nominee told the Boston Herald. "I'm interested in running for re-election, and that's what I'm doing."

Former Vice President Al Gore will speak Thursday at the Democratic convention, appearing at Invseco Field likely right before Barack Obama gives his acceptance speech to 70,000 people, CNN is reporting. The Obama has not confirmed the report.

A broken ankle will prevent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) from attending her party's convention in Denver next week, the senator announced this afternoon.

Feinstein was walking with Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) on a trail in Tahoe forest Friday, the day before an environmental summit at Lake Tahoe, when she slipped and broke her ankle, the senator said.

"My doctor has advised me not to travel in the short-term, and so, regretfully, I am unable to attend what will surely be an historic convention in Denver," Feinstein said. "I was very much looking forward to chairing the California Delegation, and I offer my best wishes to California’s delegates in this vital nomination process."

Feinstein helped broker the deal for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (D-N.Y.) exit from the Democratic primary, letting Clinton and Barack Obama use her Washington, DC home to discuss Clinton's exit in private. Many eyes will be fixed on the Obama/Clinton dynamic at the convention, as the two have agreed to put the nomination up for a floor vote, with Clinton's name being on the ballot.

Feinstein's was not the only injury surrounding the Lake Tahoe summit: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) missed the gathering with a torn meniscus in his knee.

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao will replace Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as head of the president's delegation to the Beijing Olympics at the games' closing ceremony Saturday, the White House announced this afternoon.

Rice's "travel schedule has changed due to developing world events," the White House press office said. Presumably, those events include Russia's conflict with Georgia and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation. Rice traveled to Brussels yesterday for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting on the Georgia/Russia conflict.

John McCain has tipped his hand to the GOP about his potential running mate by calling party officials about the abortion rights issue, conservative bloggers allege, while Barack Obama has hit back hard at McCain’s attacks on his patriotism, liberals cheer.

McCain is about to throw conservatives under the bus by tapping a running mate who favors abortion rights, Michelle Malkin suggests after The Corner’s Rich Lowry noted this morning that McCain’s camp has been making calls on the issue. That means two questionable candidates: Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and former Pa. Gov. Tom Ridge (R) must still be in the mix, Jim Geraghty surmises at The Campaign Spot.

Obama made a smart move today in addressing McCain’s insinuation that the Illinois senator put political self-interest above patriotism by opposing the troop surge in Iraq, Jason Zengerle determines at The Plank. Obama went before the same crowd that heard McCain make the attack yesterday—at the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) convention in Florida—and wisely fired back, overcoming the Obama camp’s reluctance to play defense against McCain’s attacks, Zengerly proclaims. And Obama not only addressed McCain’s attack, but skeptics in his own party as well, Greg Sargent proposes at TPM Election Central.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), meanwhile, fails to surprise Senate Guru by allegedly claiming that the Department of Justice doesn’t have the right to investigate his financial disclosure forms—despite having voted for the legislation that mandated disclosure forms in the first place. According to a post at anti-Stevens site Retire Ted, Stevens’s lawyers are claiming that only Congress can punish lawmakers for disclosure indiscretions, and Senate Guru thinks Stevens is evading the ethics law altogether.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Biden Echoes McCain on Russia - Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Street Money Is on for Obama in Philly - Soren Dayton, The Next Right
Obama Takes on Attack - Greg Sargent, TPM Election Central
VP Items - Marc Ambinder
What Would Hurt Obama? - Stanley Kurtz, The Corner
Biden '88 on Obama '08 - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
McCain's Mansions - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Obama Defends His Patriotism - Jason Zengerle, The Plank
Meet the Next Obama - Matt Lewis, Townhall.com
So Much for Smith's Credibility - mcjoan, Daily Kos

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Campaign Stops Add to VP Speculation - CNN
Ethics Thicket Crimps Convention Parties - NY Times
Obama Says He Is Ready to Hit Back - Washington Post
Obama Makes Up His Mind - ABC News