During an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday morning, Obama praised Biden, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman, for proposing an additional $1 billion in reconstruction projects in the Republic of Georgia after the Russian invasion.

Only Obama, his wife, Michelle, a handful of his most senior advisers and his two-member search committee know for certain who has been vetted and discussed. Staffers were already in place to support Obama's pick, including more than a dozen seasoned operatives who have set up shop in the campaign's Chicago headquarters.

Obama's plan could be similar to the one he followed in launching his campaign last year, when he posted a Web video to rev up supporters the day before his big speech. This time, Obama could announce his vice presidential choice on Friday, then appear with the person on Saturday in the same place where his campaign began.

The running mate decision also looms for McCain. In the hope of grabbing the post-convention spotlight from Obama, McCain is considering naming his running mate in the few days after the Democrats leave Denver and before the Republicans begin their convention in St. Paul, Minn.

McCain's top contenders are said to include Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Other possible choices include former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an abortion-rights supporter, and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential pick in 2000 who now is an independent.

Underscoring how seriously McCain may be considering Ridge or Lieberman, Republican officials say top McCain advisers have been reaching out to big donors and high-profile delegates in key states to gauge the impact of putting an abortion-rights supporter on the GOP ticket.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh warned Tuesday that the GOP base "will totally turn on McCain" if he picks a pro-choice running mate and predicted such a move "will ensure his defeat."

Dunn, the Obama adviser, stirred the pot by saying McCain "needs to figure out if he's going to let Rush Limbaugh and the right wing of his party direct his choice."

McCain dealt with criticism from Limbaugh and other right-wing talk show hosts when they attacked him during the primary campaign. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded to Limbaugh's latest volley by saying, "John McCain is pro-life, always has been, and his administration will be pro-life. Anyone picked as his vice president will respect those views."

Lieberman has been traveling with McCain recently. Pawlenty was gearing up for a weekend campaign swing in Ohio and Pennsylvania on McCain's behalf, and said he might travel to Denver next week as a McCain surrogate during the Democratic National Convention.

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Beth Fouhy reported from Raleigh, N.C.; Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Chicago contributed to this report.

On the Net:

McCain: www.johnmccain.com

Obama: www.barackobama.com