Srsly, He's The VP

Barack Obama will announce his running mate by text message.

An email from David Plouffe, campaign manager for Sen. Barack Obama, sent tonight to supporters is sure to stoke speculation about the candidate's announcement of who his choice for vice president will be. In a message entitled "Barack's VP: Be the First to Know," Plouffe writes: "Barack Obama is about to make one of the most important decisions of this campaign -- choosing a running mate."

Plouffe goes on to ask supporters to sign up online (or via text message) in order to be the "first to know" when Obama makes up his mind on his vice presidential nominee. So, is this a sign that a surprise announcement is in the offing this week even as Obama vacations in Hawaii?

No, according to Obama communications director Dan Pfeiffer. "Sometimes an email is just an email and this one should not be read as some sort of clue on timing of an announcement," he said in an email exchange with The Fix Sunday night.

The more likely goal of the email is to harvest thousands of email addresses and cell phone numbers for the Obama campaign. The more ways the campaign has to contact supporters or potential supporters, the better chance it has of maximizing its vote in the fall.

Sign up here to get the text. Does the famously computer-illiterate John McCain even know how to send a text?