[Update] NBC says Bayh and Kaine are out.
After waiting with anticipation and thousands waiting by their phones for a text message announcing who Barack Obama has chosen as his vice presidential running mate, could a leak from a printing company actually have stolen Obama's thunder?
That would be Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who has been rumored as being on the Obama short list of potential vice presidential candidates.
Bayh has a reputation as a fiscally conservative Democrat. Bayh endorsed Hillary Clinton and it is believed that he could help the Obama ticket by delivering a key battleground state.
Approximately eight hours ago, Political Radar had reported that Bayh, when asked if he had any news, said, "It's not mine to report."
The KMBC-TV report says the company has not confirmed nor denied the reports but they say at least three sources "close to the plant's operations reported the Obama-Bayh material was being produced."
Evan Bayh is not exactly a favorite of the left with some, like Thats My Congress, stating "in 2002, Bayh was the primary Democratic political ally of McCain in the effort to defeat peace activists and pass a resolution to allow George W. Bush to rush into war in Iraq."
Other progressive sites like Blendz's Spot, declares, "Potential Obama VP Is Pro-War, Pro-Patriot Act Neo-Con, Evan Bayh served with John McCain on neocon Committee for the Liberation of Iraq to propagandize for invasion in 2003."
More on Evan Bayh on the issues here and his biography on his Senate website here.
Could the company be creating multiple different materials with different names so they could have the fast track in selling their products as soon as Barack Obama announces?
Is this a red herring or the leak of all leaks during this campaign season?
[Update] The KMBC-TV link now has a video of a quick interview with the president of the printing company where he expresses disappointment that the station reported this news. He called it rumor but refused again to confirm or deny the story.
If the news is true and this blew the big secret, could the company lose some sort of monetary deal for making the material?
[Update #2] AP reports: Obama officials say they paid to have companies create materials with multiple names:
Officials said the Obama campaign had taken the trouble to print material bearing the names of several potential ticketmates — thereby minimizing the significance of a report that a printing company in Kansas was churning out signs bearing Bayh's name.
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