Poll rivals' silence fuels speculation on running mates

Washington: As speculation mounts, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are narrowing their choices for vice presidential running mates with their nominating conventions just weeks away.

Current and former governors and senators seem the most serious contenders, though most of those mentioned are playing coy about any discussions with either campaign.

The choices were expected to carry special weight with voters in this election: McCain would be the oldest person elected to a first term as US president and Obama may be looking for a more experienced running mate since he has just four years on the national political stage.

With the Democratic national convention less than a month away, there were growing indications that Sen Hillary Clinton has been ruled out or slipped to near the bottom of the Illinois senator's short list.

Campaign watchers now are looking to Virginia's Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine, who on Tuesday refused to confirm media reports that he has given the Obama campaign his financial records for review.

"I'm just not going to talk about my conversations with the campaign," he said after appearing on a Washington radio station. McCain has likewise kept his decision-making under tight wraps and potential running mates have been just as evasive.