Columbus, OH–

The McCain veepstakes talk continue this evening with the candidate telling Sean Hannity that he has not made a final decision on his running mate. So, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty don’t forget to send flowers to Sedona this weekend!

Hannity asked McCain what he is looking for in a number two, “Someone who shares your priorities. Your principles, your values and I’ve got to also say priorities. One of the toughest decisions the president makes is setting priorities. And so, that has to be those obviously important characteristics. And one of them of course is, someone who can take your place immediately,” McCain then chuckled about his age, “That’s maybe the advice almost even more important in my case.”

McCain was supposed to meet with Louisiana governor, Bobby Jindal tonight– another much talked about Vice-Presidential choice, but the campaign cancelled the trip due to approaching Hurricane Dolly.

Jindal told Fox and Friends this morning that he does not want to be considered for the Vice-Presidential slot saying he has the job he wants, but he will help McCain get elected.

While campaigning in Pennsylvania today the presumptive Republican nominee had kind words for Jindal and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, “He’s a great, fine person. Re-elected in one of the toughest re-election years in the history of the Republican Party,” McCain told reporters, “He has pretty successfully been able to work across the aisle in Minnesota with the Democrats. And I think he is, he, Bobby Jindal and a number of governors, I think are the future of the Republican Party. The next generation of leadership.”

Manchester, NH–

Tonight when reporters boarded Straight Talk Air they rushed to the middle section of the plane in between the press seats and where Senator John McCain sits with his staff. We were trying to hunt down this evening’s hot rumor: that McCain may pick his Vice-Presidential choice in the coming days.

Journalists on campaign planes are sat in a pecking order with embeds regulated to the rows in the back, right before the television crews, so it was Elisabeth Bumiller with the New York Times and Jonathan Alter with Newsweek who were at the front of the pack. Bumiller knocked on the partition separating the press from the candidate and to her surprise the presumptive Republican nominee pulled back the curtain and quipped, “What do you want you little jerks?”

As the rest of the press tried to push their way to the front of the pack, Bumiller asked McCain if he was going to announce his number two tomorrow. He brushed off the question, not answering and instead giving a mischievous grin.

Traveling Press Secretary, Brooke Buchanan then came over and pulled the curtain closed saying, “We will have no announcements today” and Senior Advisor Mark Salter said he had, “No comment and he is “not authorized to say anything” regarding the choice.

When McCain Air took flight Salter came back to the press section and faced a flurry of questions about the Veepstakes. He pressed that there will be “no announcement today” and “no comment,” even adding that he is “not denying, confirming or commenting” on the rumor of a possible running mate pick.

Salter said McCain gave everyone a stern talking-to regarding speaking to the press about the Vice-Presidential choice and had made it very clear to him and the whole staff that “none of us are to comment until he surprises us with his choice.”

Carl Cameron spoke to high-level sources within the McCain campaign and his reporting on the topic earlier today leaves the possibility open of a pick this week, “One source, with direct knowledge of the senator’s thinking and of the campaign’s machinations says there will be no announcement today or tomorrow morning. Another top insider says we should NOT throw cold water on the idea that McCain could announce his running mate this week. Still a third said unless McCain wakes up in the next 2 days with a decision, chances are ‘remote.’ ”

Announcing his running mate this week would draw media attention away from Barack Obama’s trip overseas as would hype surrounding a possible selection—which is what this may very well be. But, McCain’s schedule keeps the speculation going with an event tomorrow in New Hampshire where Mitt Romney has a vacation home and a stop later in the week in New Orleans where the governor, Bobby Jindal, has long been rumored to be a possible choice.

BATON ROUGE, LA– Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer had to be cut off today as he began what sounded like the full pitch for Sen. McCain to choose current Governor Bobby Jindal as his running mate.

“(McCain’s) vice president might be in this room today, his vice president might be a graduate of Baton Rouge High, his vice president might be the only guy I know who won an election for governor in the first primary-beating a lot of good candidates. He might be the only guy in America younger than my son-and I’m not that old-who is a great governor,” Roemer said as Jindal ran up on stage with a microphone.

“”I thought I’d better rush up here before he gets me in any more trouble,” Jindal said, avoiding any more VP talk.

McCain also stuck closely to his traditional talking points when asked by a supporter about the possibility that he would choose the 37 year-old Gov for his number two, praising him instead as a member of the “next generation” of American leadership.

Later on during the town hall though, following an eloquent Jindal comment about the education system, McCain did leave us with this line: “I’ve got to take him everywhere with me.”

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JEROME, AZ — We caught our first glimpse today of Sen. McCain and his weekend guests, as the presumptive GOP nominee and about two dozen friends and colleagues went out to lunch nearby his vacation home.

With a number of potential VP choices gathered at his home for the weekend, including LA Gov. Bobby Jindal, FL Gov. Charlie Crist and former MA Gov. Mitt Romney, national and local media interest has been extremely high with more than a dozen cameramen and producers staked out on the road outside his Page Springs, AZ ranch.

For his part, McCain has said the weekend will not include any running mate vetting and is strictly social.

At about noon Saturday, a three van, two suburban motorcade left his property and made the 30-minute drive to nearby Jerome for a meal at the Asylum, a restaurant located at about 5,000–with a phenomenal view of the red rocks of Arizona’s Verde Valley and nearby Sedona.

In video above, Jindal, Romney can be seen walking into the restaurant with their spouses before McCain’s arrival. Former EBAY CEO Meg Whitman, Sen. Lindsey Graham and campaign Senior Adviser Charlie Black are also seen entering with the group. Sen. Sam Brownback as well as FL Gov. Charlie Crist were also reportedly in attendance.

McCain then rolled up and exited his vehicle wearing an Arizona Diamondbacks cap and a green sweatshirt.

There was no comment from any members of group upon entry or exit, but a restaurant representative said the group dined at four tables on calamari, burgers and steak sandwiches as well as drank iced tea and water.

McCain and company are also set to go hiking and fish during the holiday weekend, though the weather has not been accommodating as a consistent rain has fallen for most of the weekend.

(Above: Cameraman await developments outside McCain home. Left: A view of the famous Sedona, AZ red rocks.)

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STOCKTON, CA — McCain smirked and quickly denied that he plans on vetting any potential running mates this weekend.

“It’s just having a group of friends for Memorial Day weekend to visit us and enjoy one of the most beautiful places in America. It’s no more and it’s no less. I wanna assure you,” he told reporters.

McCain will be hosting at least 10 couples this weekend at his Sedona ranch including much talked VP candidates including Charlie Crist, Bobby Jindal and Mitt Romney. Among planned activities include hiking, fishing and a bbq for all invited guests on Saturday.

Governor Mitt Romney launched a new political action committee today just days before he is set to spend the weekend at the Arizona home of Senator John McCain.

The Free and Strong America PAC founded by the former presidential candidate and Massachusetts governor has the declared mission of supporting “officeholders and candidates who are dedicated to advancing social, fiscal, and foreign policies that will strengthen America at this critical time in the nation’s history.” The PAC will focus on electing candidates that are committed to “military strength,” low taxes, small government, and “strong families.”

In an e mailed statement announcing the launch Romney said, “America is at a crossroads. If we are to remain a leader in the world, we must be prepared to tackle the numerous challenges ahead of us with the same innovation and spirit that has made us the envy of the world. Together with the candidates we support, and the help of the American people, we can embrace solutions that will create a strong economy, strong families and a strong military.”

The political action committee has already announced several candidates that they will support including John McCain, Representative Connie Mack of Florida -a former Romney supporter, and Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, among others.

Advisors from Romney’s presidential bid are back at the PAC including Press Secretary Eric Fehrnstrom who is now a senior adviser. Peter Flaherty who was Romney’s liaison to religious conservatives will be the executive director and campaign manager Beth Myers is also back as a senior advisor.

The PAC will support conservative candidates now, but will be ready in force by the time 2012 rolls by. There has been talk of Romney launching another presidential bid — the chatter began the day he dropped out of the race.

This weekend he will be traveling to McCain’s Sedona ranch with Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and Florida governor Charlie Crist. All are widely thought to be possible vice-presidential picks, but the McCain campaign stresses that the weekend is just “social.”

IRVINE, CA — While John McCain is hosting a number of potential running mates and their wives this weekend at his vacation home in Sedona, AZ, the campaign tells Fox that the gathering is not related to the VP search.

The presumptive GOP nominee is hosting 10 couples at his home this holiday weekend for a BBQ, including LA Gov. Bobby Jindal, FL Gov. Charlie Crist and former rival Mitt Romney–all names being thrown around as potential running mates. But other McCain friends and confidantes will be on the guest list as well, including SC Sen. Lindsey Graham.

A McCain adviser calls the weekend gathering “purely social,” and says no VP vetting is on the agenda.

McCain completes his week of campaigning and fundraising Thursday in Stockton, CA and is scheduled to fly to Sedona tomorrow night.

A spokesperson for Jindal confirms the Governor’s weekend visit, adding that he plans to discuss “issues important to the future growth of Louisiana.”

“Governor Bobby Jindal and First Lady Supriya Jindal are going to Arizona for the Memorial Day weekend to spend time with Senator John McCain and Cindy McCain at their ranch. The Governor has met with the Senator many times before and discussed the challenges facing the Gulf Coast region as communities continue to rebuild,”said Jindal spokeswoman Melissa Sellers. ” The Governor looks forward to joining Senator McCain and his other guests this weekend, and he values this as another opportunity to meet with a national leader, and the potential next President of the United States, to discuss issues important to the future growth of Louisiana.”

McCain has hosted campaign surrogates–and potential VPs–at his Sedona home during the last couple months. During the weekend of February 29, he hosted a few other names in the VP hunt including—UT Gov. Jon Huntsman, NC Sen. Richard Burr, MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty and SD Sen John Thune, among other elected leaders.

Campaign advisers have been extremely reluctant to discuss any details about the ongoing VP search for months and have only confirmed that McCain his heading up the search committee himself.