Obama reportedly calling VP also-rans

CHICAGO, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Sen. Barack Obama has called people on the short list of U.S. vice presidential candidates to tell them they weren't selected, a Democratic Party source said.

Obama, D-Ill., is expected to attend a rally Saturday in his home state of Illinois with his choice for vice president, CNN reported. Obama, who is preparing to accept the Democratic Party nomination as its candidate for president next week, says he selected his running mate but hasn't revealed the name.

"I won't comment on anything else until I introduce our running mate to the world," he said while campaigning in Virginia. "That's all you're going to get out of me."

The party source declined to tell CNN who was called.

Obama was in Chicago and had no public events scheduled Friday as he prepared for a whirlwind tour with his running mate ahead of Democratic National Convention in Denver Monday through Thursday, aides said.

Among the names on the short list are Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Joe Biden of Delaware, and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. Obama's primary challenger, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, is considered a dark-horse contender.