Will Romney be announced as McCain's v.p. this week?

Speculation is swirling that presumptive GOP presidential nominee John

McCain is about to name his choice for vice president — and that choice

may well be Mitt Romney.

Veteran Washington columnist Bob Novak sparked the latest surge in

supposition about what's being called the "veepstakes" by posting an

item late Monday saying sources close to the McCain campaign claim the

candidate is ready to make an announcement.

Novak said sources close to McCain "are suggesting he will reveal the

name of his vice presidential selection this week while Sen. Barack

Obama is getting the headlines on his foreign trip."

The widely read columnist went on to say, "The name of McCain's running

mate has not been disclosed, but Mitt Romney has led the speculation

recently." On Tuesday, though, Novak told Fox News he may have been

used by the McCain campaign.

McCain and his aides are being coy with reporters, and Romney, his

former rival for the GOP nomination, is said to be spending time with

his family at a childhood vacation home located on the Canadian side of

the Great Lakes, just across the Michigan border.

Romney's spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, downplayed the discussion.

"There's a lot of guessing and speculation going on, but the fact is

that Governor Romney expects to be campaigning for John McCain as a

supporter and not as a member of the ticket," Fehrnstrom told the

Deseret News in an e-mail Tuesday.

So did Tim Bridgewater, McCain's Utah-based Western states regional coordinator.