On this day in 1809 Abraham Lincoln is born in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Now to today's top stories:

"Campaigns Cover the Region In Last Effort to Charm Voters" (John Wagner, Amy Gardner and Nikita Stewart, Washington Post) It could be a bloodbath (metaphorically speaking) on the Democratic side today in the first ever "Potomac Primary," with Barack Obama in good shape to sweep -- again. John McCain is favored on the GOP, although it will be interesting to see him and Huckabee duke it out for Virginia.

"For Clinton, Bid Hinges on Texas and Ohio" (Patrick Healy, New York Times) Which leaves Hillary Clinton. Everyone knows February, wintery and bleak, can be a hard month (that's why the Romans gave it the fewest days), but for Clinton it must be nearly unendurable. Clinton's hopes rest on Ohio and, fittingly, Texas (the Alamo and all) on March 4.

"McCain Likes the Math; Huckabee Could Use Miracle" (Sasha Issenberg, Boston Globe) Once comrades-in-arms, united to stop Mitt Romney, McCain and Huckabee are starting to get a sense of what Octavian and Antony felt (last Roman reference, promise). McCain is eager to get his general campaign up and running, and he must surely be getting a tad exasperated with Huckabee's reliance on a "miracle" to win the nomination.

"8 Questions the Potomac Primary Could Answer" (Dan Balz, Washington Post) Even though we pretty much know what's going to happen today, assuming there aren't any miracles, reporter Balz takes us through some questions that politicos are asking.

"Hillary Hits Obama on Transparency, Rhetoric" (Mike Allen, The Politico) He might be able to give a great stump speech, Hillary said in an interview, but Obama lacks substance and, more importantly, the conviction to fight. Hillary also got off this line on McCain: "Luckily, I agree with my party more than Senator McCain agrees with his party."

"McCain Opts Out on Funds" (Joseph Curl, Washington Times) It was a necessary thing for McCain to do to compete with the Democratic money truck that will come at him in the fall. But it does remind us just how far McCain has come in this race, now over a year old.

"K Street Eyes McCain Warily" (Jim Snyder, The Hill) During McCain's years in the Senate he has angered more folks than just conservatives. Big business, with its K Street lobbyists, also has felt McCain's bite over the years, and some will require heavy face-time before they open the wallets.

"Clinton Not Ready to Release Tax Returns" (Beth Fouhy, Associated Press) Resisting calls from Obama to release her tax returns, Hillary said she would only do so if she secures the nomination. Probably not the smartest strategy, if only because it further fuels the notion that the Clintons are shady dealers.

"Evangelical Leader Bauer Endorses McCain" (Libby Quaid, Associated Press) In addition to Bauer, McCain also picked up the endorsement of Jeb Bush. Compared to the array of conservatives aligned against him, these big pick ups might not mean much, but every little bit helps.

Get today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Election page.