How often have North Carolina's senators worked with John McCain?

A quick search of legislation filed in recent years shows a handful of bills which U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr have cosponsored with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Burr signed on to four McCain-sponsored bills: Imposing sanctions on the Burmese junta, creating a federal gas-tax holiday this summer, requiring illegal immigrants to pay back taxes before becoming citizens and designating a National Mentoring Month.

Dole signed on to the Burmese sanctions and the mentoring month as well as an amendment to name a military spending bill for Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican.

In addition, McCain signed on to two Dole bills: Recognizing the Lumbees as a tribe and awarding a Congressional Medal of Honor to Tony Blair.

He did not sign on to any Burr-sponsored bills. 

How bipartisan has U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole been?

From 2003 to 2008, the Salisbury Republican was the primary sponsor of 140 bills. Of them, 80 had no cosponsors, 27 had only Republican cosponsors and 33 had Democratic cosponsors.

Overall, her 264 cosponsors included 164 Republicans and 100 Democrats, or about three-to-two ratio. A bill to give British Prime Minister Tony Blair the Congressional Medal of Honor was the most bipartisan measure, with 30 Democratic cosponsors.

Another bipartisan bill would have phased out reduced-price lunches at public schools by increasing eligibility for free lunches. Six Republican and eight Democrats signed on.

The most frequent Democratic cosponsor was Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who signed on to seven bills, including ones to investigate Camp Lejeune's drinking water and recognize the Lumbee tribe as well as several amendments to bills.

Sen. Joe Lieberman signed onto six bills, including ones to set aside a portion of the gross domestic product for defense spending and provide job training in college. Sens. Ted Kennedy, Tom Harkin, Richard Durbin, Frank Lautenberg and Bill Nelson each signed onto five bills.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards signed onto four Dole bills, including recognizing the Lumbees and honoring Blair.

Previously: Dole's cosponsors in 2003-04, 2005-06, 2007-08.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole was fairly bipartisan in the 2003-04 session.

With the candidates for Senate touting their records of bipartisanship, Dome has been taking a closer look at the number of Democrats who signed on to legislation Dole sponsored.

In the 2003-04 session, the Salisbury Republican was the primary sponsor of 16 bills. Of them, eight had no cosponsors and eight had Democratic cosponsors.

A bill to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to British Prime Minister Tony Blair had 48 Republican cosponsors and 30 Democrats, including Sens. Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Joe Lieberman and Chuck Schumer.

Overall, that boosted her Democratic cosponsors to 48, compared to 66 Republican cosponsors, or about a three-to-two ratio.

Her most frequent Democratic cosponsor was fellow North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, who signed on to the Blair honors, a bill to recognize the Lumbee tribe, an amendment on a Medicare bill and another amendment.

Previously: Dole's cosponsors in 2005-06 and 2007-08.

FAYETTEVILLE—Paul William Bucha will introduce Barack Obama.

The Vietnam veteran and Congressional Medal of Honor winner told Dome he would give a short introductory speech at today's event.

"If I don't change my mind," he joked.

Bucha has been an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. In 2004, he was on the board of advisors for Operation Truth, a 501(c)4 group that criticized President George W. Bush's handling of the war.

He also spoke out about attacks on 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry, particularly his Purple Heart. 

In 2006, he introduced anti-war Democrat Ned Lamont at an event in his home state of Connecticut. (Lamont won the Democratic nomination, but lost to Sen. Joe Lieberman, who re-registered as an independent.)

Perhaps it's not surprising that Bucha is not on the Clinton team.

In 1992, he was one of a group of veterans who raised questions about Bill Clinton's avoidance of service in the Vietnam war.