Well, Beverly Perdue has had enough of negative ads.

She’s pulling hers. In an e-mail – unless it’s a hoax – she’s announced for the good of the state she’s pulling her negative ads and it’s all hearts and flowers from now on.

Richard Moore must be counting his lucky stars.

Maybe Mrs. Perdue had better go sit down and have a heart to heart talk with former Governor Jim Hunt, who’s had a fair amount of experience (both receiving and giving) when it comes to negative ads.

The solution to negative ads isn’t turn up your chin, sniff, pull up your skirts and parade out of the room in a huff.

The solution is to answer them. To show just how your dirty, rotten, mean opponent twisted the facts, distorted the truth and lied. Then – if he did lie – that dirty ad ought to backfire and hit him right between the eyes.

This is how the brawl – that we call political debate – has worked in American politics for two centuries. And, by and large, folks are pretty adept at sifting through the distortions and smears to get to the truth.

Especially if both sides keep debating.

But Mrs. Perdue’s not doing that. She’s heading for the tall grass.

This is the kind of move, when a campaign abandons its strategy in mid-stream and starts flailing water, when you just shake your head and say, They just got in over their heads, panicked, and lost it.

Richard Moore ought to take a break from the campaign trail tonight and take Mrs. Moore to dinner and celebrate.

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