Republicans chafe when the media predicts a dirty campaign with the lion's share of mud thrown at Barack Obama. But if the past 24 hours are any guide, there's good reason for that assumption, and you can blame it on Republican House leader John Boehner.

 

When tonight's results from West Virginia show blue collar whites went overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton, the TV pundits stuck with hours of air time to fill will no doubt speculate on what Barack Obama needs to do to broaden his appeal in November. But the more important question is, does he need to even try?

 

Forget the endless debate over when and how Hillary Clinton oughta get out. Skip the superdelegate count. The most interesting thing to happen in this campaign in weeks -- and what would be the biggest change in nearly a half century in how we elect presidents -- cropped up over the weekend.

John McCain and Barack Obama are seriously considering a series of joint town hall meetings over the summer. If they pull it off, they'll be giving voters the kind of discussion and back and forth that would be fitting for what has long been described as one of the most significant and consequential presidential races in decades.

It's as modern as the buggy whip and should just go. Voting on Tuesday, a tradition that dates back to when the U.S. was largely agrarian, needs to be updated to address modern American life. Here's my plan.

There's a very important election Tuesday and it's not the Democratic primary in West Virginia. It's the special congressional election in Mississippi. A Democratic win would -- and should -- propel Republicans from simple alarm into full-fledged panic.