Carter Wrenn
Gary Pearce
Giuliani Should Strap On His Helmet
Debates between presidential candidates about issues can be pretty vicious. But they’re mild compared to campaigns where one candidate decides to attack the other’s character. Rudy Giuliani is the leading Republican candidate for President because of the character he displayed when the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, so, inevitably, as he begins his presidential…
A Republican Crackup?
Back when he was a Democrat, former Senator Lauch Faircloth used to say there were two things he didn’t understand: electricity and Republicans. I still don’t understand either one. I especially don’t understand the Republican presidential contest: John McCain seems to be shrinking before our very eyes. The strong, straight-talking, independent maverick of 2004 now…
Mayor of One Raleigh — or Two?
Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker must decide whether he wants to be mayor of all Raleigh – or just part. Tom Fetzer got elected mayor in the 90s by mobilizing North Raleigh against Inside the Beltline. With Carter Wrenn’s help, Fetzer tapped into a feeling that the city was spending too much money downtown and paying…
Cooperating With Prosecutors
It is hard not to feel sympathy for a seventy-one year old man whose world has come crashing down around him as completely as Jim Black’s. Allies who not long ago defended him at the tops of their voices have abandoned him, the Attorney General is demanding he repay the state $30,000 in legal fees,…
The ‘Surge’ Hits a Snag
What happens to the terrorists when you occupy a big country like Iraq with too few troops? When you have a ‘surge’ the terrorist go to the provinces. In Diyala, thirty miles from Baghdad, the American commander put it this way, “You’ve got more than 20,000 more American troops pouring into Baghdad – so the…
Polls and Trial Lawyers
The Civitas Institutes latest poll was bad news for North Carolina’s two most prominent trial lawyers-politicians. Right here in his home state John Edwards finds himself in a dead head with Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton 22% John Edwards 24% Barach Obama 22% In politics, when the folks at home – who know you best –…
Heckuva Job, Nicky?
ABC News reports that the Veterans Administration came up with a plan two years ago to make sure that American troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan get the medical care they need. It was called “seamless transition.” The purpose: Don’t let injured troops fall through the cracks when the military turns them over to the…
Richard Moore: The Old Bait and Switch
The newspapers have blasted Richard Moore’s shaking down state pension fund managers for campaign contributions. Moore’s response: He’s pulling the ‘old bait and switch.’ Moore, spewing statistics, claims it doesn’t matter how much he’s raised. All that matters, he says, is how the funds have performed. Which according to him is just dandy. Moore calculated…
How About You?
No politician in Congress is going to dare to propose a draft. The Democrats would impeach President Bush if he even brought it up. But looking back the President made a big mistake by not proposing a draft years ago. He wouldn’t have gotten in this mess if he had. He’d have known right then…