OF COURSE THERE'S VIDEO: The least surprising thing that Andrew Young, former close aide to John Edwards, had to say in his book proposal: there's a sex tape. A year ago, that news might have been shocking. But a sex tape now fits comfortably along the downward trajectory Edwards' public image has been following since he begrudgingly acknowledged an extra-marital affair. Of course, we don't think Young visited the federal courthouse this week to talk about film.

BERGER UNLEASHED: Senate minority Leader Phil Berger ran wide open this week. He blasted North Carolina Democrats at home in the usual outlets, and then let 'em have it in the Wall Street Journal. We're not sure, but we think Berger wants people to know he's unhappy with the majority party.

THAT WAS CLOSE: The House and Senate agreed at the last minute to a bill to keep the state running while they wrangle over the budget. The House got its way and the temporary bill sets a two-week deadline for the chambers to agree. Gov. Beverly Perdue says to hurry up.

IN OTHER NEWS: House Republicans don't like the way Democrats name important bills. No charges will be filed in a case where a Blue Cross and Blue Shield lobbyist was accused of attempted bribery. Former auditor Les Merritt has launched a foundation to expose public corruption. The Republican Party is gearing up to go after freshman Democrat U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell in 2010. And the recession has prompted a drop in the prices of premium liquor, so at least there's some good news.

The official story is State Highway Patrol Commander Walter J. Wilson Jr. decided to retire after a year on the job to spend more time with his family. That created the need for a successor, and Gov. Beverly Perdue appointed a lieutenant colonel, Randy Glover, to the post this week.

But Wilson's brother-in-law said in an interview that story is not true. Wilson was forced out, Michael Madras said, because Perdue had someone else in mind for the state's top cop.

Madras said he learned this from Wilson himself minutes after Wilson attended a meeting with Reuben Young, whom Perdue appointed to run the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. Young told Wilson at that meeting June 22, just after Wilson returned from Disney World in Orlando with his family, that he needed to step down.

"He went on vacation and came back, and his boss says, the governor wants you gone," Madras said.

Wilson works at the patrol's headquarters, but he lives in Greenville, so during the workweek he often stays at the home of Madras and his wife, Penny, Wilson's sister. They live in Raleigh.

The alternative version of events leading to Glover's promotion raises questions that Perdue, Young, Wilson and Glover would not discuss. All declined through spokesmen to be interviewed.

Chrissy Pearson, Perdue's press secretary, would not say whether Perdue wanted Wilson out. Pearson also declined to say whether Perdue had sought to promote Glover into the job. (N&O)

Republican legislative leaders criticized Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue today for earlier saying she didn't care which legislative tax plan was used to balance the budget.

The GOP grief may have been a factor in Perdue's efforts today to clarify her comments.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger, of Eden, and House Republican Leader Paul Stam, of Apex, accused Perdue of failing to provide leadership.

"Governor Perdue needs to start caring," Berger said in a prepared statement. "It is the Governor’s job to care about policies and to care about people. If the Governor is going to propose $1.5 billion in job-destroying tax increases, she needs to care about what their effects will be on North Carolina families and businesses."

The GOP leaders also said Perdue was resorting to raising taxes as the only way to close the gap between revenue and spending.

Gov. Beverly Perdue does have preferences about what kinds of taxes are raised to balance the state budget.

Perdue's press secretary, Chrissy Pearson, asked today to clarify Perdue's comments from Wednesday when she told a gaggle of reporters that she wanted the legislature to promptly finish the budget because the state was missing millions of dollars in new cuts and tax increases each day it lacked a budget.

The House plan raises the sales tax rate, adds the sales tax to some services and raises the income tax on high income taxpayers. The Senate plan reduces sales, income and corporate tax rates but adds the sales tax to a variety of services, taxes electricity and taxes Social Security income for those making more than $250,000.

"I don't care which plan it is," Perdue said Tuesday of the competing proposals. She went on to mention the sales tax and income tax on higher income earners in the state.

Pearson clarified on Thursday: "It's not so much that she does not care which taxes. She supports the idea of sales, high income, (sales tax on) services and, of course, she originally proposed the sin taxes (on tobacco and alcohol). She understands that there could be a combination of solutions from the two chambers that could get us where we need to be."

Gov. Beverly Perdue sternly urged the legislature to agree on a budget, saying the state is missing out on $5 million a day in budget cuts and tax increases.

Lawmakers appear no closer to agreeing on a tax increase package, with the Senate today postponing about ten House bills that were on the Senate calendar. Senate leaders said it was so they could hurry back to budget talks, but some House members interpreted it as playing hardball. Democrats lead both chambers.

Perdue, talking to the news media outside the capitol, said she doesn't care what combination of budget cuts and tax increases the legislature settles on between the competing House and Senate plans.

"I need the General Assembly to step up and come to consensus," said Perdue, a Democrat, emphasizing that teachers and parents don't know where children are going to school in the fall because of budget uncertainty.

House Speaker Joe Hackney, a Chapel Hill Democrat, said he agrees with the need to finish as quickly as possible.

"We appreciate (Perdue's) participation and encouragement," Hackney said, "and welcome it."

UPDATE: Perdue's press secretary on Thursday clarified Perdue's comments.

* Bob Geary at the Independent Weekly raises questions about the doctorate earned by Timothy Johnson, the newly elected vice chairman of the state Republican party.

* The UNC system has no official policy on administrators maintaining multiple e-mail accounts, reports Eric Ferreri at the N&O's Campus Notes blog.

* During his eight years in office, former Gov. Mike Easley built a reputation for being reclusive and seldom seen in public. Now his official portrait is carrying on the tradition.

* Nearly six months after taking office, Gov. Beverly Perdue is among the nation's most unpopular governors.

A federal stimulus program called "Race to the Top" could mean hundreds of millions of dollars for North Carolina's cash-strapped public schools.

But the state may be hobbled at the starting gate because North Carolina's cap on the number of charter schools could work against it.

"Charters (are) a high priority for President (Barack) Obama," said Justin Hamilton, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education. "States that limit them put themselves at a strategic disadvantage in applying."

Under the federal stimulus program, the education department has nearly $4.4 billion in "Race to the Top" money for states that show innovation in education. Education officials call it the federal government's "largest one-time investment in K-12 public school reform."

States will be invited to submit proposals this fall. A handful will win grants early next year.

"You can bet your bottom dollar I have a team trying to get the money for North Carolina," Gov. Beverly Perdue told a Charlotte workshop on stimulus money this month.

In a conference call with reporters this month, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "States that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the Race to the Top Fund."

North Carolina is one of 40 states that allow charters, and one of 26 that cap the number.

The current cap is 100, though at least two bills in the General Assembly would raise it. One measure that passed the House would put it at 106; the bill is in a Senate committee. (Char-O)

NOBODY LIKES NOBODY: The popularity recession has settled in for most N.C. politicians. Gov. Beverly Perdue, with basement-dwelling approval ratings less than six months into her first term, travelled the state to rally support from unimpressed teachers and Democrats. The raspberries are bipartisan: both U.S. Senators Kay Hagan and Richard Burr's numbers are down. President Barack Obama is slipping, and his policies are less popular than the man.

SPARE A FEW THOUSAND DIMES? One state resident isn't worried about layoffs. Jeff Wilson of Kings Mountain took home $29 million, after taxes, when his father gave him a Powerball ticket that hit the jackpot. (Gotta figure Wilson is apologizing for having ignored any past fatherly advice). We get this question a lot, so before you ask, the lottery can't fix the state's budget problems because it raises only a small fraction of the state's education spending and state law mandates lottery profits go to four specific programs.

PLASTICS, PESTERING AND POTTY TIPPING: The legislature has been on an outlawing binge. It has banned plastic bags on the coast, bullying in schools and vandalizing portable toilets.

IN OTHER NEWS: The state got most of its deposit money back for a private jet officials decided not to buy after all. A new film production tax credit would lose money for the state at first. And Obama does still occasionally smoke, but that's not why he signed into law sweeping new regulatory authority over cigarettes.

The tale of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford leaving the state and not saying where he was going should have sounded a tiny bit familiar to Dome readers.

Gov. Beverly Perdue and First Gentleman Bob Eaves left for a few days vacation in February and refused to tell the pesky news media where she was going.

That may be about the only similarity. Unlike Sanford, Perdue: went on the trip with her spouse, told her staff where she actually was going, told her security detail and told Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who was officially in charge during Perdue's absence.

Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson still won't reveal the specific "somewhere warm" to which Perdue traveled but did on Thursday eliminate one possibility: "It wasn't Argentina."