BuzzFeed Veepstakes: What's Taking So Long?

Romney's on the stump, and the Veeps are out and about. WIll Romney make his pick before Paul Ryan goes on vacation?

Welcome to BuzzFeed Veepstakes, your daily guide to Mitt Romney's search for a running mate.

Mitt Romney starts his day off in Iowa and then heads to New York City. His bus tour kicks off on Saturday morning in Virginia.

Rob Portman is holding five events today for Romney on a Colorado bus tour to counter-program President Obama. Tim Pawlenty attends two events in Michigan for Romney.

Questions? Comments? Contributions? Email [e-mail].

NBC: Portman calls says Obama's attacks are growing 'desperate'

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman on Tuesday called recent attacks against him by President Obama's campaign "desperate" and further proof they do not have a record to run on.

NBC: Paul Ryan set to take vacation amid VP fervor

As speculation over whom Mitt Romney might choose as a running mate reaches a fever pitch, one of the Republicans rumored to be on the short list — Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan — is going on vacation.

National Review: Ryan Rises

These days, you hear it everywhere — from Republican donors and veteran operatives, and at Capitol Hill watering holes. A few weeks ago, it was a wishful rumor floating in the Beltway ether. Now, sources close to the Romney campaign say it’s for real, that the taciturn former Massachusetts governor is quietly warming to the idea.

Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the budget king of the GOP, may be Mitt Romney’s veep.

Yahoo: What Rob Portman would say in a convention speech

As a prospective vice presidential short-lister, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman is in the running for one of the most highly visible speaking slots at the Republican National Convention.

Based on his response to a question about what he would discuss if granted one of those prime-time positions, it appears he's been thinking about it.

Los Angeles Times: Romney's potential running mate: Paul Ryan

"By naming Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney would be gambling that he can buttress the Republican ticket's standing on the economy while suffering no harm from the Wisconsin congressman's controversial plan to curb spending on such popular programs as Medicare."

Huffington Post: On Paul Ryan

"The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza provides a profile of Rep. Paul Ryan, with a rich discussion of his vision for limited government. It's a good read, but it left me thinking about what it is that troubles me most about Rep. Ryan, an earnest guy who's come a long way and influenced a lot of people at a relatively young age. The problem is his numbers don't add up. And that's a particularly big problem for a celebrated budget wonk."

Politico: Pining for Petraeus?

"Speculation over when he’ll give the nod is ramping up — influential conservative Bill Kristol, who was among the first D.C. types to know much about Sarah Palin last time around, says it could be Thursday — and even coverage of how the campaign will promote that announcement is on the upswing."

Politico: Romney camp uses VP buzz to advertise mobile app on Twitter

"Some more fodder for VP speculation this afternoon: the Romney campaign is capitalizing on the increased Twitter search traffic surrounding several VP shortlisters to promote its VP mobile app. When users search for a handful of the oft-discussed prospects — Tim Pawlenty, Rob Portman, Bob McDonnell, Paul Ryan, Chris Christie and Bobby Jindal — on Twitter, the first result is a promoted tweet from Mitt Romney's account, telling users they'll "get the news first" if they download the VP app."

Washington Post: Vice president: Who fits the Romney bill?

"Yesterday, I suggested there were some clues pointing to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) as Mitt Romney’s VP pick. There might be clues leading to other figures (e.g. Mitt Romney will be in Ohio next week, Sen. Rob Portman’s stomping grounds). Anyone in the party or pundit class trying to influence the pick is probably barking up the wrong tree. The Romney team has controlled this process tightly from the get-go, and there is not, I am certain, a pro and con argument the team hasn’t heard."

Vanity Fair: Obama Labels Mitt “Romney Hood”

"Credit where credit is due: the creator of the most devastating nickname of the 2012 presidential election is, somewhat remarkably, airplane safety-manual actor Tim Pawlenty. During the Republican primary, the former Minnesota governor characterized Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts health-care policy as “Obamneycare.” It stuck."

Fox News: Obama campaign looks for dirt on Rubio, Portman

"The Obama campaign launched a pre-emptive strike Tuesday on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, attempting to gather dirt on the potential vice presidential pick by asking Floridians to share with the campaign “the good, bad and ugly” about him. Ashley Walker, director of Obama for America in Florida, blasted out the email Tuesday soliciting unflattering information on Rubio."

Salon: Odd woman out?

"This morning brings another wave of Republican convention speaker announcements – and still no mention of a few of the party’s biggest names. Yesterday, convention organizers put out the names of John McCain, Condoleezza Rice, Nikki Haley, John Kasich, Susana Martinez, Mike Huckabee and Rick Scott as featured speakers at the Tampa convention. Today, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum and Mary Fallin join that list."

Fox News: Obama campaign looks for dirt on Rubio, Portman

The Daily Beast: Romney Risks a Worse VP Pick Than Palin by Going With Boring Choice

Fox News: No Hurry for Romney on Veep Announcement

Rubio teaches a course on the "legislative process" at Florida International University. Rubio uses his other day job to provide "real-time" instruction, according to a profile by the Tampa Bay Times.

The course description: Examines the context and process of legislative decision-making, including the impact of elections, groups, bureaucracies, and the norms of legislative behavior. Evaluates legislatures in light of various theories of representation and conflict-management.

Questions? Comments? Contributions? Email [e-mail].

Graphics by John Gara