I will be filling-in for Dan Rea on "Nightside" on WBZ-AM 1030 in Boston this evening from 8 PM to Midnight. Among the topics I am considering for discussion:

Who should Barack Obama choose as a running mate? Who should John McCain choose? Will it make a difference to you when voting this November who is number two on the ticket?

Is gun control the answer to the street violence afflicting Boston and other American cities? In Boston, 2 boys are shot while sitting on a porch, and a pro-gun control group is set to reveal another provocative billboard.

What is the most important issue facing the country today, and who would be better able to deal with that problem in the White House, Obama or McCain?

Should American oil companies, already pumping less oil due to their being shut out from supplies in places like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, be allowed to drill for more oil here in the United States, and off our shores?

Other news items of interest:

David Gergen thinks the McCain campaign is operating with a great deal more effectiveness.

The head of the Knights of Columbus hopes that American Catholics will hold politicians accountable for their pro-abortion views.

In The Boston Globe, city councilors are awarding big bonuses to staff members, and a local doctor appears to be the choice for firefighters looking for a disability check.

In The New York Times, Russia seems to be hunkering down in Georgia, and Musharraf's exit from the Pakistani scene leaves much uncertainty in his wake.

Amity Shlaes says there are five ways to wreck an economic recovery and, unfortunately, the Democrats seem to be looking favorably on some of them.