* Gov. Beverly Perdue bets Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire over the Sweet Sixteen game between Carolina and Gonzaga tonight.

* Perdue will speak at the N.C. Chamber's annual meeting on Tuesday, just after former Gov. Mike Easley receives an award from the group.

* CNN anchor Anderson Cooper will give an afternoon lecture on the campus of Elon University on Tuesday, April 7.

* Former Solicitor General Walter Dellinger remembers his friend, historian John Hope Franklin, in the pages of the Washington Post.

Sarah Palin has drawn big crowds in North Carolina.

Below are crowd estimates from events held during the general election by the Republican vice presidential candidate.

In all, the crowd estimates total about 22,600, though some supporters may have been at more than one event.

Greenville: Palin spoke to a crowd of about 8,000 at East Carolina University on Oct. 7 then watched the second presidential debate with Pat McCrory and Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr.

Elon: Palin spoke to around 2,000 people at Elon University on Oct. 16 then attended a private fundraiser in Greensboro.

Asheville: Palin addressed more than 7,600 people at a rally in the Asheville Civic Center on Oct. 26. Thousands more were turned away.

Raleigh: Palin spoke to more than 5,000 people at the Exposition Center at the State Fairgrounds on Nov. 1. (Note: WRAL estimated the crowd at 10,000. There was no official estimate.)

Related: John McCain's visits to North Carolina.

Meredith College is not alone in its disclaimer.

As previously noted, the Raleigh women's college posted a disclaimer on its Web site noting, we thought somewhat defensively, that it was not endorsing Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden just because it was allowing him to speak on campus.

But a spokeswoman for Meredith pointed us to similar disclaimers from Elon University and Wake Forest University before visits by Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, which are also similarly defensive.

Wake Forest's disclaimer notes that as a tax-exempt institution, it is required to avoid engaging in political activity and prohibited from making endorsements, but it can provide "a forum for speakers who express a wide variety of political views."

Elon's disclaimer says the college is promoting "freedom of thought."

"To be clear about the university’s policy on political events, Elon does not invite candidates or sponsor the rallies, but does agree to host the candidates in response to their requests," the college wrote.

In addition, the Meredith spokeswoman informs Dome that the ban on signs and banners was a request from the Obama campaign.

The Washington Post notes an interesting comment from Thursday's Sarah Palin rally at Elon University:

Palin also made a point of mentioning that she loved to visit the "pro-America" areas of the country, of which North Carolina is one. No word on which states she views as unpatriotic.

Update: The New York Times has the complete quote here from a pool report.

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America," Ms. Palin said, according to a pool report. "Being here with all of you hard-working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation. This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans."

A Greensboro reporter was knocked to the ground at the Sarah Palin rally Thursday.

Greensboro News-Record reporter Joe Killian was attempting to interview protesters who supported Barack Obama when he was kicked in the leg by a Palin supporter, according to his blog:

The man began to say something about how of course I was interviewing the Obama people when suddenly, from behind us, the sound of a pro-Obama rap song came blaring out of the windows of a dorm building. We all turned our heads to see Obama signs in the windows.

This was met with curses, screams and chants of "U.S.A" by McCain-Palin folks who crowded under the windows trying to drown it out and yell at the person playing the stereo.

It was a moment of levity in an otherwise very tense situation and so I let out a gentle chuckle and shook my head.

"Oh, you think that’s funny?!" the large bearded man said. His face was turning red. "Yeah, that’s real funny…" he said.

And then he kicked the back of my leg, buckling my right knee and sending me sprawling onto the ground.

Killian searched for a security guard afterward but did not locate the man again.

His colleague, Mark Binker, has more here. 

Sarah Palin says she supports free trade, respects U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' years of service and is ready to serve as president if needed.

After the jump, her interview with Rob Christensen.

   Comments (0)

Sarah Palin challenged North Carolina voters Thursday to choose Republican Sen. John McCain's promise to balance the federal budget in four years, bring tax relief to every American and drill for offshore oil.

Before an energetic crowd that nearly filled an Elon University baseball field, the vice-presidential candidate on McCain's ticket urged voters to reject what she described as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's plan to redistribute wealth and raise taxes, Josh Shaffer reports.

"It's the choice between a politician who puts his faith in government," Palin said, "and a true leader who puts his faith in you."

Thousands packed the sun-blazed field in support of Palin, including five students who painted her name on their bare chests, along with a sixth who painted an exclamation point.

The Palin trumpeted McCain's performance in Wednesday night's presidential debate, saying her running-mate will reform the waste that led to the nation's financial crisis.

"John McCain is going to Washington to work for Joe the Plumber," said Palin, referring to the everyman voter who unintentionally became the star of Wednesday's debate.

Palin drew cheers, but the loudest reception came for country music legend Hank Williams Jr., who performed a song he wrote for the campaign to the tune of his hit "Family Tradition."

He wore a Carolina Panthers jersey with his nickname "Bocephus" stenciled on the back. 

Sarah Palin is coming back to North Carolina Thursday.

The Republican vice presidential candidate will be at the baseball stadium at Elon University for a rally at noon along with country singer Hank Williams Jr. 

Williams debuted a song today, "The McCain-Palin Tradition," about the GOP ticket. He will perform it at the rally. 

Tickets will be available at major McCain offices around the state. They are limited to two per-person and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Palin will also be at a private fundraiser in Greensboro Thursday. 

John McCain is also registering students in North Carolina.

The Republican presidential candidate's campaign held a membership drive this week at three colleges: Duke University in Durham, Elon University in the Triad and UNC-Wilmington.

Students were given help registering to vote and joining the N.C. Students for McCain-Palin group.

Duke Students for McCain-Palin will also hold a "Country First" tailgate party on Saturday before the football game with the U.S. Naval Academy.