Barack Pays Up In January, the Boston Globe started asking local officials about Barack Obama's time at Harvard. Soon after, a mysterious voice called the Cambridge office of Traffic, Parking and Transportation. Turns out that Obama had received 17 parking tickets while he was a student at Harvard Law School, and paid only two of them—and those two, he paid late. The mysterious voice—not Obama—paid off the tickets, 15 years late.

Hmmm. A total non-issue? Or the early signs of an ethically casual approach to financial matters?

On the one hand, the Cambridge parking enforcement people are from hell. On the other hand, even by Cambridge standards, 15 unpaid tickets is kind of a lot...and they were only $5 each, at the time.  ¶ 8:08 AM