Barack Obama (web|news|bio) made an unannounced stop Wednesday at a downtown building that houses the law firm of one member of his vice presidential search team but wouldn't say why afterward. Who the likely Democratic nominee met with and what they discussed, he wouldn't say. "I'm not going to tell you," Obama told reporters who asked those questions as he exited the office building out the back door some two hours and 20 minutes after entering. He had a smile on his face and two top aides - campaign manager David Plouffe and chief strategist David Axelrod - at his side.

The stop was not on his public schedule, and aides would say only that Obama had private meetings planned while in Washington.

They wouldn't provide additional details, including whether Obama had met with Eric Holder, a partner at Covington and Burling who is helping the candidate vet potential running mates. The firm is located just blocks from the White House that Obama hopes to occupy come January.

In a city that revels in the intrigue surrounding a vice presidential pick, Obama's midmorning stop was certain to fuel speculation of who he would choose for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket - and whether he met with any of them at Holder's office or, perhaps, elsewhere at another time.

Both Obama and GOP rival John McCain (web|news|bio) are trying to keep a tight lid on their searches, including only a small handful of top aides in the discussions to make sure the vetting process is as discrete as possible.

Nonetheless, each candidate is believed to be deep into process of picking a vice presidential candidate. They may even be to the point of asking potentials for records, such as tax returns, financial holdings, medical documents and military files, or secretly interviewing candidates face-to-face.

So-called "short lists" of prospects probably exist, given how long both campaigns have been weighing their options. Obama's search committee, made up of Holder and Caroline Kennedy, has been working since early June, while McCain's helper, attorney Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr., has been involved in the Republican's efforts for a couple months.

Time is a consideration for both candidates as they narrow their choices, announce their selections - and hope their choices produce an uptick in polls.

Typically, careful planning goes into the elaborate staged "roll out" of a vice presidential pick to get maximum media coverage of what is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated decision a presidential hopeful makes between clinching the party's nomination and formally accepting it at the party's national convention.

Obama is making an oversees trip later this month to Europe and the Middle East, which could make a July announcement difficult. It's also summertime and voters tend to pay little attention to politics, and McCain aides are mindful of that.

The window tightens more on Aug. 8 when the Beijing Olympics open for a several-week stretch. Democrats hold their national convention in Denver on Aug. 25-28, and Republicans follow in Minneapolis-St. Paul Sept. 1-4.

Wednesday's hint that Obama likely is fully engaged in the process began around 9:30 a.m., when his entourage, including a small contingent of reporters, left the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, presumably to head to his Senate office on Capitol Hill so the Illinois senator could vote on a couple of bills later in the day.

A few minutes later and surprising even some of his staff, the motorcade pulled over and Obama entered the building from a back door with a sign that said "Tenant Entrance Only."

Obama's public schedule listed only an evening fundraising event with former rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (web|news|bio) in New York, and his staffers had said only that the candidate would spend the majority of the day in his Senate office and on Capitol Hill for a series of votes, including on a bill overhauling rules on secret government eavesdropping. They also said he would spend the remainder of the time in "private meetings."

Written By LIZ SIDOTI

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