As running mate speculation hits a hysterical high, reporters following Obama as he toured a Greensboro, NC, farmer’s market lobbed questions to the presumptive nominee on his decision as he shopped for peaches and bread.  “No new hints,” he said. A reporter who regularly travels with the campaign wondered if Obama is still “shopping” for a candidate. “John, how long did it take you to think of that question?” Obama shot back.

Staffers aren’t talking either. Obama’s national press secretary Bill Burton sent an email to reporters with the subject line: “Vice Presidential…” Reporters eagerly opened the email only to read, “Just kidding,” followed by a rundown of Obama’s day. Staffers traveling with Obama deflect questions surrounding the who, when, and where, leaving press and pundits to read the tea leaves.

In two days of campaigning, Obama has referenced two of those thought to be on the short list. Yesterday Obama heralded Delaware Senator Joe Biden for his commitment to send money to the nation of Georgia and today Obama praised Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for training workers in new technologies. Kaine will appear alongside Obama tomorrow at an event outside of Richmond, Virginia, and was described as a “great choice” for veep by Obama’s political companion today, Mark Warner.

Absent from his repertoire — Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, who is also thought to be a top contender. While Obama did not mention him, The Nashville Post (which according to Wikipedia is “an online news service covering business and politics in the Nashville, Tennessee metropolitan area”) reported that Obama would hold a “major event” in Indianapolis Saturday.

The campaign would neither confirm nor deny the report.

Barack Obama is still on the market for a running mate today after veep speculators talked up a surprise announcement in Indiana today. The rumors were rampant because Obama was introduced by Evan Bayh, who is Indiana’s second term U.S. Senator, the state’s former governor, and allegedly on Obama’s shortlist for veep.

While staffers shot down rumors yesterday there would be a any such announcement in Elkhart, Obama and his staff have been tight lipped about his V.P. selection process, timing, and who is in the running. Obama pledged just a few days after securing the delegates necessary to win the nomination that the next time we heard something about his running mate would be at an announcement. Expecting a stealth move, press flocked to Elkart for Obama’s third town hall on energy in two days.

Bayh spoke for 12-minutes - went well over a typical introduction. Just yesterday Ohio’s Senator, Sherrod Brown, introduced Obama for a brief couple of minutes before the candidate emerged. In his audition speech, the Indiana senator talked up Obama’s energy plan and referred to the presumptive Democratic nominee as “a breath of fresh air.”

And while he’s no pit bull, Bayh attempted to throw a few punches at Obama’s opponent.  “John McCain is not a bad man, but he is badly mistaken when he has embraced the Bush and Cheney economic policies, and he is badly mistaken when he has embraced their energy policies. Someone was telling me this morning that Senator McCain yesterday that his solution to the American energy challenge was to ‘drill, drill, drill.’ Well it sounded a lot like my dentist to me,” Bayh said to a few chuckles.

The two senators were on stage together for the time it took for Obama to hug Bayh and walk to the podium. The Indiana senator then took a second row seat at the town hall while Obama said just one line about his introducer. “I would like everybody to give a huge round of applause to one of the finest U.S. senators that we have, Evan Bayh, your own,” Obama said.

It was, by most standards, a typical Obama campaign event. But to add to the buzz, Jim Margolis of Obama’s media team made a rare appearance on the road. Margolis oversees the production of video used in, among other things, Obama’s commercials.

Barack Obama has been tight-lipped when it comes to his running mate selection process. Two days after he secured the Democratic nomination, the candidate told press traveling aboard his campaign plane that the process would not be made public and that there would be no leaks from his staff. “Next time you hear from me about the vice presidential selection process will be when I have selected a vice president. And if you hear second hand accounts, rumors, gossip about the selection process, you can take it from me that it is wrong because we’re not gonna be talking about it in the press,” he said. Every time he has been asked about potential running mates since, Obama has deferred to this answer.

Last week when the candidate was in Washington, DC, he spent nearly two hours inside the office building that houses veep selection team member Eric Holder’s law office. When the presumptive Democratic nominee emerged from the side door, reporters assembled feet away asked Obama with whom he was meeting and why. The candidate grinned and said, “I’m not telling you,” as he placed his briefcase in the back of his Secret Service SUV.

Today in Indiana, Barack Obama held an panel event to discuss emerging nuclear, biological, and cyber threats, and was joined by the state’s junior Senator Evan Bayh, as well as former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn - both names that would generate hits on Google if you searched their names + Obama + running mate.

Following the hour and a half long event, Nunn and Bayh emerged in the press file to take questions from reporters. The topic du jour: veep-stakes, of course.

“Do either of you want to be Vice President?” a reporter began the press conference.

Laughing, Nunn replied, “I have never aspired to that office. It’s always nice to have your name mentioned, its an honor, but I have no expectations of being offered any office and I’m not in any way sitting on the edge of a chair ready to go back into government…Certainly I would talk to Senator Obama if he wanted to talk about it, but I think the chances of an offer are pretty slim and that I would have to do a lot of thinking and talk to my family and do a lot of reflecting about what was really the best role for me. Right now I’m doing a lot of work national security arena, with the foundation I chair and we’re making some progress in some difficult areas so I’m not pining to go back into public office.”

Bayh stepped into the spotlight and demurred, “Well, I love serving the people of Indiana, and any questions about the vice presidential thing, I think, are understandable and it’s good for my ego, but I should probably let Senator Obama and his campaign address those kind of questions.”

While Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has admitted he’s being vetted by the Obama campaign, Bayh and Nunn wouldn’t say whether or not the veep team has reached out to them. “Look, I understand why you ask that kind of question - it’s part of your job - but you really have to ask the Obama campaign those kinds of things,” he said. Nunn didn’t have anything to add.

As the avail came to a close and the men left the podium, a reporter wondered if they’d remove themselves from the veep-stakes derby. Bayh smiled and joked, “I’ve got a plane I’ve gotta catch.” He paused and added, “General Sherman was from Ohio.”

No “Shermanesque” declaration from the Senator from Indiana, who was an early supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton. “I am now pledged to help him in any way I can, speaking to the people of my state, others across the country, those who supported Sen. Clinton and others in trying to convince them – and I don’t think it will be very hard – that Barack Obama has the right ideas and experience to lead America in a better direction than we’ve had these last eight years and in a better direction than Sen. McCain would offer,” he said.