Sen. John McCain has begun "getting together a list of names" to choose a vice presidential running mate and said Wednesday he hopes to announce his choice before the Republican convention in early September.

"I'd like to get it done as early as possible. I'm aware of enhanced importance of this issue given my age," said the Arizona senator, 71.

McCain told reporters his search would take weeks if not months and, at this point, includes "every name imaginable," about 20 in all. He disclosed none of them and declined even to identify the individuals he has approached to supervise the vetting that will inevitably winnow the field.

Early speculation on a running mate has focused on his former rivals for the nomination, particularly former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, as well as a handful of sitting Republican governors, Charlie Crist of Florida and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota among them.

DEAN BACKS EFFORT TO INCLUDE FLORIDA

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Wednesday the party was committed to seating Florida's delegates at this summer's convention as long as any agreement is supported by the party's two presidential contenders.

Dean met with Florida lawmakers to discuss ways of allocating delegates among Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and prepare for the fall campaign in the battleground state.

The party stripped Florida and Michigan of their delegates to the national convention in Denver because they ignored party rules and moved their primaries to January.

OBAMA PRESIDENCY WOULD INCLUDE GORE

Barack Obama said Wednesday he would give Al Gore a major role in an Obama administration to address the problem of global warming. "He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

Since leaving the White House, Gore has become one of the world's leading voices for combating the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. His work earned him a share of the Nobel Peace prize last year.

Popular among Democrats, Gore is perhaps the single most coveted endorsement up for grabs in the Democratic competition.

POLL: CLINTON'S LEAD TRIMMED IN STATE

Hillary Rodham Clinton's lead over Barack Obama has shrunk slightly in the Democratic presidential race in Pennsylvania, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. Clinton holds a 9-percentage-point edge, down from 12 percentage points in a mid-March poll. With less than three weeks until Pennsylvania's primary, she has 50 percent compared with Obama's 41 percent.

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