Veepstakes: Timing is everything

Compiled by NBC/NJ's Matthew Berger, Carrie Dann, and Athena Jones: McCain says he isn’t basing his veep timing on when Obama announces. “I'm not driven by Sen. Obama's schedule, but it's a very tough thing to do," McCain said on Fox News. “I'm working hard at it.” He said he wants to reach a decision soon.    An October debate preview? Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Evan Bayh will face off this Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”    DEMOCRATS : The Nation's Nichols writes that the conflict in Georgia creates a crystal-clear focus on the veep picks that Obama should consider, with Biden chief among them. Biden, he writes, would be “what Barack Obama needs at this point, a running-mate who can play not just on the stage of a swing state but who on the global stage where the next administration will be required to perform immediately.”    Kaine pardoned a local mother facing deportation for a decade-old case of minor credit card fraud.    REPUBLICANS:  ... (link)