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AS ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED announcements in recent political history dragged into late August, there was no shortage of debate over whom Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama should choose as his running mate. Among the top contenders was Virginia governor Tim Kaine, who's shown a tepid approach to gay rights, and Evan Bayh, an Indiana senator with stronger equality credentials but a reputation for blandness. (New York senator Hillary Clinton was a serious long shot, though a choice that former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani subsequently deemed a "no-brainer.")
