Sources: McCain aide fired for ‘trashing’ staff  —  (CNN) — Randy Scheunemann, a senior foreign policy adviser to John McCain, was fired from the Arizona senator's campaign last week for what one aide called “trashing” the campaign staff, three senior McCain advisers tell CNN.

Dems lower expectations  —  Democratic leaders are tamping down on expectations for rapid change and trying to signal they will place a calm hand on the nation's tiller.  —  “The country must be governed from the middle,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday.

Losing California: Last night I stood in the heart of San Francisco's Castro district, the epicenter of the gay-rights movement.  Around me were thousands of people cheering and dancing for Barack Obama's victory and for the promise it brings gay America.  Meanwhile, on a large screen …

Obama Turns to Building Leadership Team  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama offered the key post of White House chief of staff to Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the first step in building a team that is expected to take shape in coming days.  —  The quick transition from campaign …

Oregonian projection: Merkley defeats Smith to take U.S. Senate seat  —  Democrat Jeff Merkley has leapt from Oregon's statehouse to the U.S. Senate, ousting two-term Republican Gordon Smith after an expensive, high-stakes contest that will help shift the balance of power in Washington.

No mandate for Obama, no lopsided Congress  —  WASHINGTON — The national election Tuesday was not only historic for the election of the first African-American president in the nation's history but also for how little the avalanche of Democratic votes changed the political alignment in Congress.

What In The Hell Happened in Alaska?  —  Although Ted Stevens holds a small lead in Alaska and is the favorite to retain his seat, the outcome is not as inevitable as it might appear to be.  Stevens currently holds a lead of 3,353 votes, or about 1.5 percent of the votes tallied so far.

Obama unoffical winner in North Carolina  —  Democrat Barack Obama is the unofficial winner in North Carolina, but the victory over Sen. John McCain won't be sealed until provisional ballots are counted and certified next month.  —  Unofficial returns show Obama ahead by 13,746 votes.

The Task Ahead  —  The celebration of Barack Obama's victory was genuine and heartfelt, as it should have been.  No one who has lived in this country and knows its history can be insensitive to the significance of his election.  —  Symbolically and substantively, it sends a message …

Guy Fawkes Day  —  Revellers celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.  In 1605 Fawkes unsuccessfully attempted to commit the infamous act of terror of blowing up King James I and the Houses of Parliament.  —  The English, among other talents, are adept at nurturing their grudges.

Suddenly, it may be cool to be an American again  —  VIENNA, Austria - She was a stranger, and she kissed me.  Just for being an American.  —  It happened on the bus on my way to work Wednesday morning, a few hours after compatriots clamoring for change swept Barack Obama to his historic victory.

The McCain Belt  —  Interesting map available on the NYT home page shows the places where McCain did better than Bush did in 2004:  —  You can see why John McCain's principled stand against higher taxes on the wealthy would have a special resonance in this region.