A former secretary of defence from Wyoming, Mr Richard Cheney, has been chosen by Governor George W. Bush as his running mate on the Republican presidential ticket according to reports last night.
Mr Bush will announce his choice today in the run-up to the Republican convention which begins in Philadelphia next Monday.
Mr Bush is said to have made a last unsuccessful effort to persuade General Colin Powell, a former head of the armed forces, to be his running mate before deciding on Mr Cheney.
The sudden emergence of Mr Cheney as a possible future vice-president caused some surprise as he had been given the job by Mr Bush of vetting candidates for the job.
This had led observers to believe that Mr Cheney was not interested in being Mr Bush's running mate.
The Bush camp was annoyed last weekend by renewed speculation about Senator John McCain who gave Mr Bush a tough race during the Republican primaries. Mr McCain said then he was not interested in being Mr Bush's running mate but appeared to have changed his mind recently. Relations between both men are said to be still strained.
There have been doubts about the health of Mr Cheney who is 59. He has had three heart attacks and a quadruple heart bypass. Mr Bush has had Mr Cheney's health checked out, according to reports, and he has been given clearance as fit for an election campaign and to serve as vice-president.
Mr Cheney refused to speculate yesterday on his chances but he is reported to have told board members of the Halliburton company which he heads that there was a strong likelihood that he would be chosen.
Another pointer was his decision last week to switch his voter registration from Texas, where he lives and works, to Wyoming which he represented in Congress for six terms.
Under the US Constitution, a presidential candidate and his running mate are not supposed to be from the same state. Mr Cheney will be seen as a safe if not exciting choice for Mr Bush.
Most Americans would remember him as a determined secretary of defence during the 1991 Gulf War. He developed a close relationship with then President Bush who may now have recommended him to his son as an ideal running mate.
Mr Cheney who served as chief of staff to President Gerald Ford in the 1970s is seen to have an intimate knowledge of how Washington works which would be valuable for Governor Bush whose only public role has been that of Governor of Texas.
Meanwhile, Vice-President Al Gore is still pondering his choice of running mate but is not expected to announce his decision until closer to the Democratic convention which begins in Los Angeles on 14th August.
Former senator and chairman of the Northern Ireland peace talks, Mr George Mitchell, is still said to be on the list of possible choices and to be the preference of President Clinton.
But observers say that Mr Gore is leaning more towards Senator Bob Graham of Florida, which is a key state in the election or Senator John Kerrey of Massachussets.
Reuters adds:
Thousands of protesters are due to converge on Philadelphia this week in hopes of using the Republican convention as a platform from which to decry the failings of a political system swollen with corporate money.
After weeks of "non-violent training" sessions held in garages, warehouses and community centres, protesters are going to the city ahead of the July 31st-August 3rd Republican convention for what they call "convergence week".
A semi-secret programme sponsored by the California-based Ruckus Society and other groups, convergence week offers a final round of training and preparations for civil disobedience and mass arrests.