McCain starts veep talk

John McCain said today that he has started putting together a list of possible running mates and hopes to pick one before the Republican national convention Sept. 1-4.

"If I had a personal preference I'd like to do it before the convention to avoid some of the mistakes that I've seen made in the past as you get into a time crunch and maybe sometimes don't make the announcement right or maybe they have not examined every single candidate," McCain said on the Don Imus radio show.

Meanwhile, one possible name, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, talked up McCain, talked down the Democratic contenders as "unelectable," and downplayed his own vice presidential prospects during an appearance on MSNBC.

Romney said he does not expect to get that call from McCain, though he campaigned with McCain last week in Colorado and Utah and has said he would be honored to be asked.