I had the opportunity tonight to hear Beverly Perdue talk again about her vision for North Carolina. Speaking to a house filled with environmental activists, she articulated a strong agenda for making our state a leader in renewable energy, conservation, environmental literacy, and green economic development (my words, not hers). She was knowledgeable, articulate and clear about what she wants to accomplish, and I'm convinced she has what it takes to make the difference we need.

If things continue the way they're going, Perdue will face Richard Moore in the Democratic primary for governor in May, 2008. Though I haven't met Moore, I am close friends with many people who work with and for him. To a person, they think he's great and that he would make a fantastic governor. I don't doubt their confidence one bit.

Which brings me to the point of this entry: What would it take to convince one of these good people to run for the US Senate against Elizabeth Dole in 2008?

Seriously, what kind of sense does it make to have two of our top Democratic leaders slugging it out for Governor, spending all that money to win a primary, while the Queen of Incompetence gets a free pass to re-election in the Senate? It makes no sense at all.

For reasons I'm not sure I can fully articulate, I think Moore is a stronger candidate for Senate than Perdue, and that Perdue is a stronger candidate for governor than Moore. Maybe it's because I don't know him as well, but his experience as Treasurer would seem particularly invaluable in a Congress that will inherit budget deficits extending as far as the eye can see and beyond.

The main reason I can think of that Moore would prefer being a governor than a US Senator is if he has presidential aspirations. Conventional wisdom says it's hard to run for president from the US Senate, and I believe that conventional wisdom is mostly right. That said, I still think he could be our best shot at dumping Dole in 2008.

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PS I've had many discussions with knowledgeable people in recent weeks about the future of Elizabeth Dole. Some say she's looking tired and may not be all that enthusiastic about running again. Others say she'll try to keep her job only if the Senate doesn't flip to Democratic control this year. Still others say she'll never give up, no matter what. But all three schools of thought share one common opinion: We at BlueNC should be relentless in pointing out her incompetence, her lack of interest in North Carolina, and her mindless rubber-stamping for the Bush administration. So keep that in mind on November 8th. We won't have UpChuck Taylor and Flipper Hayes to kick around anymore. But we will have Elizabeth Dole.