What's Your 20? - Romney is in Virginia for the start of his bus tour. It'll be an all-star Virginia lineup in the rain location to kick things off tomorrow. Obama Heads to Chicago, Starts Bus Tour in Council Bluffs Monday.

Amy Walter's Polling Note - There are a lot of poll numbers out there today spanning from a big Obama lead to a dead heat. Reminds us to be careful not to obsess as much about the number as much as the trend. That said, it's clear that Team Romney has been on defense much of the summer. They see the VP rollout and upcoming convention as the opportunity to finally get on offense and move the needle.

Obamaland on Polls - Halperin - "So do you have a nine point lead?"

Axelrod - "I do not think we have a nine point lead." http://ti.me/RyzxFz

Romneyland on Polls - "Guys, it's the middle of summer. It's the doldrums. It's the middle of the Olympics." http://abcn.ws/MHJ8Lf

Tweet of the Day - @HuntsmanAbby: To clear the air, @JonHuntsman is not speaking at the DNC Convention, I am not a Democrat & Jon is not Harry Reid's source

Why The Veep Is Important - Kenneth C. Davis Has Two Words: Millard Fillmore - From ABC's 'Don't Know Much' Online History Series - Back in 1789, when the ink on the Constitution was still drying, the vice president was the candidate who finished in second place - in other words, the "first loser."

And With A Handful Of Exceptions, The Majority Of America's Vice Presidents Have Disappeared Into The Black Hole Of History… Like Daniel Tompkins.

… Eight presidents have died in office - four by assassination, another president resigned - that means nine of the 43 men who became president-about 20%- were vice presidents elevated to that office.

… Sometimes the nation gets a Teddy Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge Or Harry Truman - all popular presidents who won reelection.

But sometimes we get Millard Fillmore or Andrew Johnson - two men routinely counted among the worst presidents ever.

Watch the episode and test your knowledge of Veeps of yore - http://abcn.ws/Pa1mVq

Odds of Romney Picking Paul Ryan as VP Double in Political Betting Market - http://abcn.ws/Qm2hNI (Amy Bingham)

Romney Calls for Truce? - In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd, he said, "[O]ur campaign would be- helped immensely if we had an agreement between both campaigns that we were only going to talk about issues and that attacks based upon- business or family or taxes or things of that nature."… "[W]e only talk about issues. And we can talk about the differences between our positions and our opponent's position." Romney said of his own campaign: "[O]ur ads haven't gone after the president personally. … [W]e haven't dredged up the old stuff that people talked about last time around. We haven't gone after the personal things." http://nbcnews.to/Nf4nE3

Does President Obama Want to Take Over Non-Auto Industries?- Devin Dwyer reports: It's no secret President Obama is proud of the taxpayer-funded government intervention that rescued U.S. automakers GM and Chrysler back in 2009. He regularly takes credit for the companies' resurgent profitability and hiring as one of his top achievements. Now, Republicans say Obama is suggesting on the campaign trail that he wants to do it again, this time in other sectors of the economy, in order to "get the hand of government driving every industry in America." Here's the full context of what Obama said- http://abcn.ws/MIIZ4k

Romney Advisor on Polling Numbers: 'It's the Summer'- A senior Romney advisor brushed off recent polls numbers that show Mitt Romney dragging behind President Obama, reminding reporters here today, "It's the middle of the summer." http://abcn.ws/MHJ8Lf (Emily Friedman)

Gov. Christie's Face Will Hang in NJ Marijuana Dispensary-The commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health announced this week that for the first time physicians can register qualified patients for the state's medical marijuana program. http://abcn.ws/S7TpwL (Jilian Fama)

More and more the political debate seems to revolve around ads. What remarkable thing is one side saying about the other? And what offense has it caused?

The Back and Forth Makes for Compelling Politically Foul - This week had Romney Hood, Obamaloney, and Bill Nelson's Hooters attack on Connie Mack - http://yhoo.it/QM7qCW

Here Items for Today's Version of Ad and Response:

Cringe - Jonathan Alter: 'People Will Die' If Romney's Elected - Forget seeking to tie Mitt Romney's past with one woman's death from cancer - a charge that lacks much evidence. http://abcn.ws/NQRJ8g (Meghan Kiesel)

Romney Adviser Says 'Cancer' Ads Hurt Obama's Credibility- An ad developed by a pro-Obama SuperPAC that suggests Mitt Romney is responsible for a woman's death has hurt President Obama's credibility and "squandered" the president's best attributes, a senior adviser to Mitt Romney's campaign said today. http://abcn.ws/MI2EkU

Rove's Crossroads Ad: 'Cancer' in the White House - Karl Rove's Crossroads USA takes a cut from disgraced former President Richard Nixon's infamous White House recordings to fashion an ominous coda to its latest web video. http://abcn.ws/MHbjd5 (Gregory Krieg)

Obama Ad Invokes Clinton to Rebut Romney Welfare Attack - A new Obama campaign TV ad in seven battleground states invokes former President Bill Clinton to directly rebut claims by Mitt Romney that the administration has a plan to "gut" welfare reform. http://abcn.ws/PJ0b9Z (Devin Dwyer)

Obama Ad Alleges Romney Role in 'Notorious' Tax Scandal - As he decries the negativity of campaign ads while on the stump in battleground states, President Obama should take a close look in the mirror. His campaign Thursday continued its vigorous pace of attacks on rival Mitt Romney, with a new TV ad alleging the presumptive GOP presidential nominee once participated in "one of the largest tax avoidance schemes in history." http://abcn.ws/NcLOAh (Devin Dwyer)