Here's the email from the Obama campaign making it official that Joe Biden is indeed his Veep choice, as earlier reports indicated:

Greg --

I have some important news that I want to make official.

I've chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.

Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois -- the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.

I'm excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can't do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.

Please let Joe know that you're glad he's part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we'll make sure he gets it:

http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe

Thanks for your support,

Barack

P.S. -- Make sure to turn on your TV at 2:00 p.m. Central Time to join us or watch online at http://www.BarackObama.com.

Late Update: Our take on the Biden pick is right here.

Late Late Update: Hillary on Biden...

"In naming my colleague and friend Senator Joe Biden to be the Vice Presidential nominee, Senator Obama has continued in the best traditions for the Vice Presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant. Senator Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic Vice President who will help Senator Obama both win the Presidency and govern this great country."

The Associated Press and CNN are both reporting that Joe Biden is Barack Obama's running mate, capping off a week of frenzied speculation that centered on him in the final stretch.

The AP cites unnamed sources, while CNN says they got the news from two Democratic sources.

And so much for those text messages we all signed up for, promising that we'd be the first to know. I still haven't gotten mine.

Late Update: The Obama campaign's email announcing the decision is right here. Though Obama's supporters were promised with great fanfare that they'd hear about the decision first, the email went out to supporters many hours after the big news orgs broke the news of the decision.

Late Late Update: Our take on the Biden pick is right here.

Now this could be something: ABC News reports that the Secret Service has been dispatched to Joe Biden's house, seemingly a giveaway that he's been picked to be Barack Obama's running mate.

If this report is true, then it would be hard to read it any other way than that Biden has already been asked to be the running mate. After all, I've never heard of the Secret Service being sent to protect somebody because they aren't a candidate.

Here's yet more grist for the mindless-Veep-speculation mill.

I've just gotten a hold of the internal Sunday-shows lineup that the Obama campaign's TV booker sends out to select Democrats. It shows that Kathleen Sebelius and Tim Kaine are both scheduled to appear on shows this Sunday to discuss Obama's Veep choice, which will likely have been announced by then.

Some might want to see this as a sign that they may be out of contention -- since the Obama campaign's booker helped arrange these appearances.

Sebelius is set to appear on CBS' Face the Nation with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. Kaine is scheduled to appear on Fox News Sunday with Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.

Of course, this could mean absolutely nothing, too. If one of them is picked for Veep, he or she could simply be pulled from his or her Sunday appearance.

Like I said, more grist for the mindless-speculation mill. At least you now know who you'll likely be watching on TV this Sunday.

Report: McCain Running Mate Will Be ... ???
Various reports are coming out about John McCain's veep-hunt, with Mark Halperin reporting that GOP sources say it will be Mitt Romney. On the other hand, the New York Times reports that the campaign is considering another pick: General David Petraeus.

Both Presidential Candidates Off The Trail Today
Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain have any scheduled public events for today.

Obama VP Could Be Today -- Or Tomorrow?
The Associated Press reports that Barack Obama could announce his running mate as early as today. On the other hand, Obama has already said he's decided who it's going to be, so it should be either today or tomorrow -- which is to say, the AP doesn't have any more of a clue about when the announcement is coming than the rest of us do.

Report: Obama Tells Runners-Up They Didn't Get It
CNN reports that Barack Obama has called several candidates who were on his short list for VP, to tell them that they didn't get it. But as you might expect, CNN was not able to find out who actually got these calls.

Poll: Obama Ahead In Michigan
A new Selzer poll of Michigan gives Barack Obama a 46%-39% lead in this must-win state, beyond the ±3% margin of error. However, the pollster's analysis finds that one third of respondents could potentially change their minds, and the race could come down to which topics dominate the race -- if it's about the economy then Obama wins, while McCain would benefit from a focus on national security.

Ticketless Obama Supporters Heading To Denver, Anyway
Tickets to the Democratic convention have already run out, but that's not stopping some people -- the Los Angeles Times reports that hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people are heading to Denver just so they can stand outside.

Hillary Still Deep In Debt
Hillary Clinton's debt-relief efforts were only able to raise $1.2 million in the month of July, leaving her with $11 million in remaining debts to vendors. Another $13 million is owed to candidate herself, for a total of $24 million, but she has said she will not seek to have her personal loans paid back.

Okay, not so much mindless speculation. Mostly real news. Here's a quick roundup of the latest Veep and convention updates...

* The Obama campaign announces a battleground state tour leading up to the Dem convention, complete with as-yet-unknown Veep, beginning with a Saturday campaign announcement in Springfield, Illinois.

* Al Gore will speak at the convention on Thursday night at Invesco Field.

* Half of Dems nationwide agree that Hillary's act of putting her name in nomination -- you know that heinous, scheming act at the heart of Hillary's plot to steal the convention for herself -- think it will help unify the party. Only 28% disagree.

* Top advisers to McCain are reportedly sounding out activists and party officials about the possibility of either pro-choice Tom Ridge or pro-choice Joe LIeberman on the ticket. Not seeing how this one ever happens in the real world.

* Joe Biden's Veep chances shoot up -- on Intrade. And with Newsweek's Howard Fineman, who is convinced it will be Joe after conversations with multiple sources close to the process.

Late Update: Maybe it isn't Biden! ABC News reports:

As Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was leaving his house in Wilmington this afternoon, he slowed down and said to the gathered news reporters outside his home: "Hey guys, I'm not the guy. See ya."

Matt Drudge is -- ahem -- "reporting" that the New York Times has learned that Obama has made his Veep choice, and lots of folks in the political world are chattering away about this as if it's true.

Drudge, who's blaring this as his big lead story, also says that the paper's Jeff Zeleny and Adam Nagourney have learned that his Veep roll-out could begin tomorrow morning.

Mark Halperin reports that Drudge is "wrong." I checked in with Nagourney himself, and he emailed this:

Don't believe everything you read on Drudge. We'll post a story when it's ready.

That's pretty much a denial. Sort of, anyway.

Late Update: The Times story is now up:

WASHINGTON -- Senator Barack Obama has all but finalized his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate roll-out plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, followed by a trip to swing states by the new Democratic ticket, aides said.

Mr. Obama's deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff: that his decision not leak out until supporters are notified.

Mr. Obama had not notified his choice -- or any of those not selected -- of his decision as of late Monday, advisers said. Going into the final days, Mr. Obama was said to be focused mainly on three candidates: Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia and Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

So the paper isn't reporting that Obama has finalized his decision, as Drudge said; he has "all but" finalized it. And the roll-out could come tomorrow. Or it might not. And the Veep pick himself or herself -- if there is one -- hasn't been told.

And Bayh may still be in the running, supposedly, though that's very hard to imagine.

Dem Party leaders call on Obama to run sharper race on economy
Some leading Dems, worried that the race against McCain looks tougher than they imagined, want Obama to sharpen his economic message and convert his popularity into a stronger sense among voters that he will improve their lives in concrete ways. "It's fine to tell people about hope and change," says Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio, "but you have to have plenty of concrete, pragmatic ideas that bring hope and change to life."

Obama in Nevada today; McCain off the trail
Obama is in Reno today and will attend a fundraiser tonight in California; McCain has no public events. Hillary is campaigning for Obama today in New Mexico.

Obama: By November, people will understand that this election is "not about me"
In an interview with CBN's David Brody, Obama responded to a question about the "celeb" sneer ads with an answer that sounded a bit like an acknowledgment that right now, the election is shaping up more as a referendum on his character than on his opponent or on their respective policies. "I think ultimately the American people are going to understand by the time they go into the polling place in November that this is not an election about me," Obama said. "This an election about them."

Kaine: It's unlikely I'll be Veep
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is campaigning his heart out for Barack Obama, but he appears to have largely written off his chances of becoming Veep. "I don't have any illusions about it," Kaine said. "I don't think that's likely to happen."

Pundits: McCain won the day at Saddleback Church
Some on-air pundits say McCain was the winner last night when both men appeared at the Sddleback megachurch in Orange County, California. ABC's George Stephanopoulos said that McCain "solidified his ties to the evangelical community," while Jake Tapper said that McCain "won over this crowd" with tales about his POW captivity -- you know, the topic we keep hearing McCain is reluctant to discuss.

Obama outworking McCain in North Carolina
In yet another sign that the Obama camp is dead serious about broadening the electoral map, his campaign is vastly out-organizing McCain's in North Carolina, a state that hasn't voted for a Democratic president since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Although John Kerry lost to President Bush in this state by over 13 points -- with John Edwards on the ticket, no less -- the polling average finds Obama trailing McCain here by only around four or five points.

Bush: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable" in the conduct of foreign policy
Displaying his typically acute self-awareness, President Bush is now reacting to the Russia-Georgia crisis thusly: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

One name that's conspicuously absent from the current lineup of speakers at the Dem convention: Jim Webb.

This, even though Obama is making a major play for Virginia. This, even though Webb would be a fantastic voice on the third night of the convention, which is national security night.

This could mean one of several things. First, and perhaps most likely, he hasn't been slotted in yet, though why this would be the case is unclear. Second possibility: He will be Veep, even if he's ruled it out. Third possibility: He's still being actively considered for Veep.

It's an odd, and conspicuous, omission. [Editor's note: Actually, it doesn't mean any of those things, and it's not an odd omission. See update below.]

Late Update: It's true, as a commenter points out, that Tim Kaine and Wes Clark also haven't been scheduled yet. But we know Kaine is being considered for Veep, and Clark has said he'll be out of the country.

And again, Webb ruled out the Veep slot, so slotting him in on national security night should have been a no-brainer.

Late Late Update: A Webb spokesperson tells me it's "unlikely" he'll speak at the gathering. He's leaving Wednesday morning to keynote an American Legion national convention in Phoenix. I've changed the headline to reflect that.

Which is to say, I never should have done this dopey post at all.

Another major news org, the Wall Street Journal, has now picked up on a topic we've been fairly obsessed with of late: Senator Evan Bayh's co-chairing of the neocon Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, along with John McCain and Joe Lieberman, and why that makes him a bad Veep choice for Obama.

But The Journal spoke to Bayh about this, and he now says that, well, he's forgotten all about any association he might or might not have had with that group...

Sen. Bayh now says he regrets his early support of the Iraq war and has no recollection of the committee. "I don't remember any meetings, any conversations, any anything," Sen. Bayh said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "Obviously my name was linked to it, but other than that there's nothing that can be said."

Really? As Steve Clemons wryly notes, "I take Senator Bayh at his word that he may not recall this high profile committee that garnered lots of press attention and had McCain, Lieberman, Scheunemann, James Woolsey and others attached. But then I think that the Senator owes us an explanation of how his staff signed him up for this -- or how it happened."

We'd say so. This is deeply absurd, to put it very charitably. Separately, that Facebook page where liberal bloggers are organizing against Bayh for Veep has how grown to over 2,500 members -- in one day.

On Fox News just now, conservative commentator Bill Kristol said in no uncertain terms that sources close to the Obama campaign had told him that Colin Powell will endorse Obama and may even speak at the Dem convention on Wednesday night.

Not so, says Powell's spokesperson, Peggy Cifrino.

"There's no truth to it, no substance to it," Cifrino tells me. "I have no idea why Bill Kristol would be making this statement. There is no imminent endorsement."

Cifrino also said that he won't be at the GOP convention, either: "He will not be at either convention," she said.

Asked if this had meant Powell had ruled out endorsing Obama, Cifrino demurred. "He has said repeatedly that he is watching both candidates," she said. "He'll make a decision at some point. I know of no endorsement coming up."

Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted.

Late Update: You'll be surprised to hear that Matt Drudge is nonetheless flogging this as his lead story.

Opposition in the liberal blogosphere to Obama picking Evan Bayh as Veep has grown so much that the lib bloggers are now organizing against the idea on Facebook.

The group's name: "100,000 Strong Against Evan Bayh for VP."

"Let's grow this group to 100,000 in a day [and] send a clear message to the Obama campaign that Evan Bayh is not the right choice for Vice President," the group's page says.

Among the top bloggers who joined up: Atrios, Mydd's Todd Beeton, OpenLeft's Mike Lux, TPM alum Spencer Ackerman, Steve Clemons, Hilary Bok of Obsidian Wings, Taylor Marsh, Rick Perlstein, and The Nation's Ari Melber.

You can join the group or read the group's argument against picking Bayh right here.

Oh, and did I mention that Bayh co-chaired the neocon Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, along with John McCain and Joe Lieberman?

( Via Steve Clemons.)

Today's New York Times profiles Senator Evan Bayh as a Veep candidate and hits on a point we've been banging away at here: Bayh's Veep prospects are clouded considerably by the fact that he co-chaired the neocon Committee for the Liberation of Iraq along with John McCain:

Mr. Bayh's support of authorizing force in Iraq stands in sharp contrast to Mr. Obama's oft-stated view that he showed the good judgment to oppose the conflict from the start. After his vote, Mr. Bayh in early 2003 joined Mr. McCain as an honorary co-chairman of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, which made regime change in Iraq its central cause.

"He was not only wrong, he was aggressively wrong," said Tom Andrews, national director of the Win Without War coalition, referring to Mr. Bayh. "In my view, he would contradict if not undermine the Obama message of change, turning a new page on foreign policy and national security."

Indeed. Bayh would muddle Obama's message considerably. One key to Obama's candidacy has been a general refusal to let the terms of the foreign policy debate be dictated by the GOP and a willingness to challenge Republican frames on national security. Bayh, by contrast, is a darling of the class of Democrats who leap through GOP frames whenever Republicans say "jump," like so many trained seals jumping through hoops.

Bayh would indeed undermine Obama's message that it's time to turn the page on foreign policy. To be sure, any member of Congress who voted for the war would face a bit of a similar problem as Obama's Veep. But Bayh's co-chairmanship with the Committee, along with McCain, puts him in a separate class entirely. As Tom Andrews told The Times, Bayh "was not only wrong, he was aggressively wrong." The GOP talking points would write themselves.

New Obama Ad: McCain Has "Been Washington's Biggest Celebrity"
The Obama campaign has a new national cable ad firing back at the McCain campaign's "celebrity line," pointing out that McCain has "been Washington's biggest celebrity" and has regularly appeared on shows like Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live. The ad is certainly entertaining, but it could also be a sign that the Obama camp sees McCain's efforts as effective and thus requiring a rebuttal:

McCain In Pennsylvania Today
John McCain is touring the swing state of Pennsylvania, seeking to maximize the benefit he can get from Barack Obama's vacation by having a must-win state for Dems to himself. McCain is scheduled to make a statement from Erie at 9 a.m. ET on the Georgia crisis, and will hold a town hall tomorrow in York.

McCain Meets With Tom Ridge
John McCain had dinner last night in Pennsylvania with Tom Ridge, the former two-term Pennsylvania governor and original secretary of homeland security. Expect quite a bit of VP speculation around Ridge as the two tour Pennsylvania over the next two days, but it still remains unlikely -- Ridge is pro-choice, a position that would alienate much of the GOP's base.

AFL-CIO Takes Up Obama Camp's Charge Against McCain On Ohio DHL Deal
The AFL-CIO has a new mailer in Ohio blasting John McCain and campaign manager Rick Davis for their role in the DHL deal, which the mailer says has now led to "8,000 Ohio Jobs Lost," an issue that the Obama campaign has vowed to hammer in this big swing state. The mailer then adds forcefully: "Don't Let McCain Get Away With It."

Obama Camp: VP Announcement Will Be Texted To Supporters
The Obama campaign is offering their supporters the chance to be the first to know who the vice-presidential candidate will be, with a Web page where supporters can sign up to receive the announcement by e-mail and/or text message. The big question: Will this list really be the first to know, or will somebody leak it to a media outlet first?

Dem Chances Improve For Open House Seat In New Jersey
CQ is changing its rating on New Jersey's Third Congressional District from "Leans Republican" to "No Clear Favorite," a sign of increasing Democratic chances for this open GOP-held seat. The district is currently occupied by retiring GOPer Jim Saxton, and Democratic nominee John Adler is mounting a very well-financed bid against Republican Chris Myers.

Third-Party Group Plans Pro-Obama Blitz -- But Can They Succeed?
Yet another third-party group is planning a major push for Barack Obama, with California-based PowerPAC announcing that they will launch a voter registration drive targeting black voters in the South and Hispanic voters in the West. The group intends to spend $10 million, but will face the same challenge as other third-party groups that want to help Obama: He has explicitly told his supporters not to fund such efforts.

New Obama Ad Uses McCain's Own Words About Supporting Bush
The Obama campaign has a new TV ad in response to John McCain's "Original Maverick" ad, rerunning a video from 2003 of McCain himself boasting that he's voted with President Bush more than 90% of the time:

Obama Campaigning With Evan Bayh In Indiana Today
Barack Obama is holding a town hall event today in Elkhart, Indiana, with the focus on energy issues. Accompanying him at the event is Senator Evan Bayh, whose name is enjoying a lot of media attention as a potential vice president -- indeed, this very event has been the cause of some speculation that he would be announced as the running mate.

McCain Visiting West Virginia And Ohio
John McCain has no announced public events for today. (Late Update: McCain is spending the day in West Virginia and Ohio.)

McCain Camp: Paris Hilton Supports Us On Energy!
The McCain campaign has responded to Paris Hilton's Web video from last night: "It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain's 'all of the above' approach to America's energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan."

Obama Camp Targeting Florida Voters Right At The Gas Pumps
Talk about targeting an ad: The Obama campaign will be running this ad, which was first rolled out yesterday, on a network of TVs that are placed on gas pumps throughout Florida. The ad tells viewers that John McCain isn't to be trusted on energy issues, because he's been around for 26 years and hasn't gotten anything done:

McCain: I Don't Disagree With Obama On Tire Pressure
John McCain is apparently backing down from his campaign's mockery of Barack Obama's call for Americans to keep their tires inflated. "I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it," McCain said last night -- though he added that it's still not enough.

Michigan Congresswoman Kilpatrick Narrowly Survives Primary
Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, mother of the scandal-plagued Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, narrowly won her re-election battle in last night's Democratic primary. Kilpatrick won 39% of the vote over her closest challenger's 36%, with the fact that the opposition was split with another candidate almost certainly making the difference.

Poll: Dem Ahead For GOP-Held Seat In Ohio
A new SurveyUSA poll shows the Democrat narrowly ahead for the open GOP-held 15th Congressional District in Ohio: County commissioner Mary Jo Kilroy (D) 47%, state Sen. Steve Stivers (R) 44%. Kilroy previously ran in 2006 and just barely lost to incumbent Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, who announced her retirement last year.

Barack Obama's scheduled visit to Indiana tomorrow has ignited a bit of the usual Evan Bayh-Veep chatter, but Bayh himself told an Indiana paper today that there's nothing to it:

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., told The Indianapolis Star today that Sen. Barack Obama has not asked him to be his running mate and that he's not expecting Obama to announce his vice presidential pick when Obama is in Indiana Wednesday.

Asked if he will be Obama's vice presidential choice, Bayh said: "I have no idea. You'd have to ask him."

Bayh will be introducing Obama at Wednesday's town hall meeting in Elkhart, but said he knows of no plans for a private meeting with Obama, even though both men are flying into northern Indiana tonight.

You probably already figured this out, but one reason we're linking to this is it gives us another excuse to point out that Bayh would be a bad pick, having co-chaired the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq with none other than John McCain and Joe Lieberman.