Governors and Presidents usually start thinking about their legacies as their terms near the end. Mike Easley should start thinking. Because his legacy is at risk. The Governor has been roundly criticized for not mentioning the Jim Black scandal in his State of the State address. Perhaps he should have begun: “Tonight, members of the…
Read MoreRobert Penn Warren said it best in All the King’s Men: “Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something.” There was something on Jim Black. And, as Warren’s Willie Stark would say, it stuck. So…
Read MorePolitical campaigns are built around six basic resources: 1) money; 2) time; 3) a candidate; 4) the people who work – or volunteer – in the campaign; 5) issues; and 6) demographics. Let’s compare Hillary’s campaign to Barack Obama’s. 1. Money – Hillary has more. 2. Time – Both started early; even playing field. 3.…
Read MoreGlobal Warming has joined ‘the earth is flat’, ‘the sun revolves around the earth’, and ‘disease is caused by humors in the blood’, as a scientific fact. The polar bears are dying, the penguins are going into exile, the seas are rising and the land will disappear beneath a flood greater than Noah’s. The dilemma…
Read MoreA collection of progressive groups (some even call themselves liberals) says a recent North Carolina poll found strong public support for some of their issues. The poll was done by OnPoint Polling and Research of Raleigh. That’s the group that got the Wake County school bonds vote right last year. The most striking results: More…
Read MoreBill O’Reilly, interviewing a young lady defending John Edwards, asked with his usual bombast: Would you have fired the bloggers if you were Edwards? The young lady – a spokeswoman for the Young Democrats – evaded. He pursued. Finally, cornered, she admitted, No, she wouldn’t. O’Reilly pounced: If they had attacked blacks – the same…
Read MoreHere’s a commentary on the state of Presidential politics. John Edwards has chosen the theme song for his campaign: John Mellencamp’s “This is Our Country.” Ford – or is it Chevrolet – is using the same song to sell trucks. Senator Chris Dodd, risking the appearance of vanity, choose “Get Ready (Cause Here I Come)”…
Read MoreWe have given the Iraqi Army the best weapons, the best training, the only air support in Iraq – so why can’t they defeat the terrorists? The answer we are told is they need more time to train. But that seems to defy common sense. They’ve had as much time for training as the terrorists…
Read MoreA marine officer on patrol in Baghdad sees five Iraqi soldiers clustered beneath a streetlight, an easy target for snipers; certain something is wrong he rushes across the street. He finds the Iraqi ‘s staring at pornography on a cell phone. (News and Observer; 2-10-07). An Army Lieutenant on patrol with Iraqi soldiers captures three…
Read More
