Have you been watching HBO's "John Adams"? Great series, but it's quite vague on dates. It was on this day in 1774 that the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act, which closed Boston harbor in response to the Boston Tea Party of a few months earlier. On to today's top stories:
"Obama's Record in the Senate Is Modest" (Margaret Talev, McClatchy Newspapers) Obama is proposing some major changes that would take bipartisan coalitions to get through Congress. Problem is, Obama has not shown the kind of "across-the-aisle" skills in the Senate that he boasts of on the stump.
"Obama’s Test: Can a Liberal Be a Unifier?" (Robin Toner, New York Times) Obama famously hates "labels" and none more so than the liberal label. The National Journal, however, has "labeled" him the most liberal senator in the senate, and he's voted with his party 97% of the time.
"Dems to Hammer McCain for '100 Years'" (David Paul Kuhn, The Politico) According to reporter Kuhn, Clinton man Howard Wolfson mentioned McCain's "100 years in Iraq" remark four times in two minutes.
"Clinton Says She 'Misspoke' About Dodging Sniper Fire" (Patrick Healy and Katharine Seelye, New York Times) Dodging bullets is, one would think, a harrowing and memorable experience. So Clinton's admission is quite an embarrassment.
"Americans Oppose Government Aid for Banks" (Donald Lambro, Washington Times) With over 90% of homeowners paying their mortages on time, is it any wonder that most Americans oppose bailing out those who can't or those banks who provided the loan in the first place?
"Clinton Calls for $30 Billion for Home Mortgage Crisis" (Patrick Healy, New York Times) Clinton also proposed a "high-level emergency working group," which might include Alan Greenspan, Paul Volcker and Robert Rubin, to tackle the crisis.
"Worried Dems Wish for 'Dream Team'" (Susan Davis, USA Today) A long article on a Clinton-Obama, Obama-Clinton ticket that everyone seems to want but Clinton and Obama. Today the Dream Ticket is seen not only as a way out of the party's impasse, but also as part of the process Bill Richardson described as "healing."
"2008 Could See Turnout Tsunami" (David Mark, The Politico) In 2004, voter turnout reached 61% -- the highest since 1964. One person in this article says this year it could be as high as 80%. Since most states have voting systems in place that don't work all that well under normal, complacent election years, some are worried.
"Campaigns Quick to Shake Loose Cannons" (Christopher Cooper, Wall Street Journal) After he showed up in an anti-American film released on Turkey, Mehmet Celebi, a Chicago businessman, was cut loose from the Clinton campaign. Considering the movie starred Gary Busey, probably a good move on the campaign's part.
Get today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Election page.