Your Mid-Afternoon 'Veepstakes' Gossip!

Two things! Barack Obama will appear with his so-called "vice president" in Springfield, Illinois -- where he started his campaign 20 years ago -- on Saturday. Oh neat. Also, Mark Halperin hears that Tom Ridge is no longer a possibility for John McCain, probably because Tom Ridge kills babies. So the current veepstakes predictions stand, according to our Wonkette Maths, as (1) Biden (2) Bayh (3) Kaine for the Democrats and (1) Romney (2) Pawlenty (3) Lieberman for the Republicans. But watch out for surprises! Obama could pick a Balinese Cock, because he loves Balinese Cock. [ Lynn Sweet , The Page ]