The Indianapolis Star notes today that Barack Obama's scheduled 21-hour stop in Indiana tomorrow is "fueling speculation that the Democratic presidential candidate will pick Sen. Evan Bayh as his running mate." Obama has only a town hall meeting in Elkhart planned for that time frame.

From the article:

Still, the blogosphere was abuzz Monday about what Obama's lengthy stop in Indiana could mean, as people noted that Obama arrives in South Bend about 6:30 p.m. today and doesn't leave the state until about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Plenty of time, say, for a stop in Bayh's hometown of Shirkieville in Vigo County or elsewhere to launch a ticket.

At a Boston fundraiser last night that also served as a birthday celebration for Obama, John Kerry told the Obama supporters what the only present the Illinois senator had asked for. "I asked Barack what he wanted for his birthday, and he said just three things: Indiana, Colorado, and Virginia. That's it," Kerry said.

Some, the Indy Star wrote, believe Bayh's "name on the ballot will put Indiana's electoral votes in the Democratic column for the first time since 1964." With or without Bayh, winning the state will be a difficult task. Indiana is one of five states that have voted Democratic just three times in the last 20 presidential elections, dating back to 1928, and all three elections were Democratic landslides.