He might have made his VP announcement before then, but on Saturday Obama will be back in Springfield with his running mate, the Chicago Tribune reports:

On Tuesday, Obama's campaign confirmed the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would use the occasion to launch his trip to next week's Democratic National Convention. Plans also call for him to visit several battleground states en route to Denver .

Obama plans to headline a weekend rally at the same spot where he launched his then-audacious presidential bid on a bitterly cold day 18 months ago. The Old State Capitol is the historic site of Abraham Lincoln's famous "House Divided" speech.

Sources in Springfield said authorities have been asked to prepare for an Obama visit that could include a newly chosen vice presidential candidate, but a senior campaign source cautioned the visit was still being planned and may not include a running mate.

Whether the VP does join him, Obama obviously plans to own the coming week, starting on Saturday and continuing until Thursday night. The McCain folks are just going to have to hunker down and prepare for the onslaught.