Duke Fans Becoming Carolina Fans
Forty years of excellence warped the perspective of Tar Heel basketball fans. Now, just as Carolina fans are strugglling to adjust the harsh post-Dean Smith world, Duke fans are developing some familiar bad habits. I filed this column about it, which ran today, on Tuesday. It was great to have Coach K validate my analysis by ripping Duke fans after Thursday night's game, but it meant News & Record copy editor Dennis Shelton and I had to make some changes on the fly. Dennis is unflappable. He saves my butt about twice a month.
Dumbass Remark by Mike Barber
Guilford County commissioner Mike Barber, a Democrat, went on the same radio program where Howard Coble misspoke on internment and said the criticism of Coble shows America is becoming "a society of wusses." According to the News & Record, Barber spouted a non sequiter -- "I think (Coble)'s a good man"-- and then a misdirection: "Every day we live, if we sit back and look for an opportunity, we can all be victims of something." Right. But this isn't just victimology, Mike -- the importance of Coble's remarks is magnified by his key role in homeland security.
Edwards Watch
A prominent local Edwards supporter complained to me last night about Edwards' slam at Coble, calling it gratuitous. As the Edwards presidential campaign scrambles for respect--and the loss of Bob Shrum to the Kerry camp doesn't bode well for our puppy-eyed Senator--many NC Democrats are seething that Edwards has sacrificed a hard-won Senate seat for a pipe dream.
Dowd Not Out
Maureen Dowd has been pretty useless since 9/11, shrill instead of snappy. But she nails it today: "It still confuses many Americans that, in a world full of vicious slimeballs, we're about to bomb one that didn't attack us on 9/11 (like Osama); that isn't intercepting our planes (like North Korea); that isn't financing Al Qaeda (like Saudi Arabia); that isn't home to Osama and his lieutenants (like Pakistan); that isn't a host body for terrorists (like Iran, Lebanon and Syria)."
Teed-off
A distinguished correspondent writes re this morning's NY Times front-page photo: "The 3-column photograph at the top of page 1 of today's N.Y. Times is a metaphor for U.S.-Arab relations. Texas flyboy on U.S. warship is shown driving a golfball into the Persian Gulf ...Capitalist waste. Indifference to what happens once a missile is launched. Indifference to what the natives may think of putting the Persian Gulf at the disposition of U.S. forces launching whatever catches their fancy."
1:18:51 PM 
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