GOING CHILLY: Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin didn't appreciate having to share a campaign bus with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr when she was stumping the state. Palin is scheduled to appear at Ft. Bragg next week to promote her book, which could make for an awkward moment if Burr shows to get a book signed.

POLITICAL PRENUP: Presidential candidate John Edwards offered to quit his campaign and endorse President Barack Obama in exchange for a guaranteed spot on the ticket. Hillary Clinton got the same offer. This reminds us of a time when Edwards' political value meant more than a cheap joke, such as this one.

LIGHTWEIGHT GOVERNOR: At a women's health conference, Gov. Bev Perdue shared stories about her days as a lawmaker when she would scarf a whole bag of Doritos. On a stage in front of a crowd, Perdue challenged her transportation secretary, Gene Conti, to slim down. Woe to any Perdue cabinet members who still smoke.

IN OTHER NEWS: Former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign manager appeared before a federal grand jury this week. Members of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are heavy political contributors. An African American artist unveiled a portrait of U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

VOTE HAUNTS: Nearly two weeks after U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell bucked his party and voted against health care legislation, Democrats in his district are seething. The talk is that Kissell may face a serious primary challenge. (Charlotte Observer)

PORTRAIT PLEASES: Rene Dickerson was nervous as he prepared to unveil his portrait of the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms. The cloth over the painting dropped, and the room gasped. The crowd broke into long applause. (N&O)

RESERVES AMPLE: North Carolina state government has at least $620 million at its disposal so far to close any budget hole this fiscal year, the state's budget director says. So far, revenue is down $95 million, a fraction of the multi-billion dollar shortfall faced last year. (AP)

POLITICAL WIND: A decision by the U.S. Capitol Police suggesting that pigs were a threat to spread H1N1 to humans created an unlikely alliance between People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat and farmer. The police were wrong, he wrote, in their reason for denying permission for PETA to blow hog-waste infused air toward Congress. Pigs don't give H1N1 to people, he explained. (N&O)

UNLIKELY ARTIST: The African American man who painted a portrait of Jesse Helms had heard of the North Carolina senator, but didn't know much about him. Rene Dickerson, whose art often focuses on scenes of African American culture, struggled to get the caucasian flesh tone right. (N&O)

MACKEY PLEA: State Rep. Nick Mackey pleaded guilty Tuesday to contempt of court for his failure to show up for a December 2007 trial of a client and had his sentencing indefinitely set aside. Mackey, a Charlotte Democrat, faces a hearing next month before the N.C. State Bar's disciplinary hearing commission over allegations that he failed to pay taxes on time and poorly represented a client. (Charlotte Observer)

A portrait of the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, done by an African-American artist, will be unveiled Wednesday in Washington's Capitol Hill Club.

The unveiling of the painting by Rene Dickerson is expected to bring together Helms friends and admirers, including Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, U.S. Reps. Virginia Foxx, Patrick McHenry and Sue Myrick. Former U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns will act as master of ceremonies. Dot Helms, the senator's widow, will be on hand.

The choice of artist could generate a buzz at the event, reports Rob Christensen.

Helms opposed every piece of civil rights legislation while serving in Congress and he was a major critic of the civil rights movement while he was a Raleigh television commentator.

Not only is Dickerson an African-American, but his work is not traditional portraituture. The California native cites as his inspiration such artists as Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden.

Dickerson's work is featured in the private collections of Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby and former Motown president Berry Gordy.

The portrait is being sponsored by the Jesse Helms Center in Monroe and by Brian Summers, a former Helms staffer, who has ties to Motown and Gordy.

The portrait will remain in the Capitol Hill Club, which has served as a social club for Republicans since 1951. It is located next door to the Republican National Committee and two blocks from the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr said they want to see North Carolinians on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

President Barack Obama nominated Judges James Wynn and Albert Diaz to the court, which serves North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. North Carolina has had only six judges serve on the 15-judge panel since it was established in 1801, according to Hagan's office.

Judge Allyson Duncan is the only North Carolinian on the bench. The late Sen. Jesse Helms blocked Wynn's 1999 nomination to the court.

"Today’s announcement is a victory for North Carolina," Hagan said in a statement. "For too long partisan bickering and obstructionism on both sides of the aisle have unnecessarily derailed the nominations of qualified North Carolinians."

Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, whose opposition or support could prove pivotal to the confirmation of the nominees, said this morning he "looks forward to working with" Diaz and Wynn during the confirmation process.

"Since coming to the Senate, I have fought for greater representation for North Carolina on the United States Court of Appeals, and I plan to continue that fight for the people of North Carolina," he said.

The senators' complete statements after the jump.

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Rock star Bono met with Dot Helms, the widow of former Sen. Jesse Helms, before Saturday night's U2 concert in Raleigh, to express his appreciation for the late senator's work to combat AIDS in Africa.

The two men had formed an unlikely alliance and friendship during Helms' final years in the Senate, and Bono asked for a chance to meet with Dot Helms during his Raleigh concert, Rob Christensen reports.

At a back stage meeting, Bono greeted Dot Helms warmly and said it was because of "Jesse" that more than 3 million children are alive and on anti-retroviral drugs today in Africa, according to Jimmy Broughton, Helms' former chief of staff, who accompanied Dot Helms.

Dot Helms did not stay for the concert, but she was accompanied by several of her grandchildren who did.

Dot Helms was deeply touched and delighted to see Bono, according to Broughton, and said she hoped other senators were helping him with his efforts for global AIDS relief.

At the U2 concert this weekend the crowd would have gone wild for just about everything Bono said or sang.

Which made it all the more awkward when Bono got to his inevitable sermonizing, said several of those who caught the show. He was talking about his "One" project, which works against poverty and disease, particularly in Africa. Bono praised North Carolina for having two prominent politicians who have worked hard for that cause. On the right, he said, was the late Sen. Jesse Helms. (Bono of course had developed an understanding with Helms).

And on the left, was John Edwards.

That's when it got uncomfortable.

"I've never experienced an awkward silence at a rock concert before," writes Joe Gregorio on his blog, echoing what Dome has heard from others.

LOW KEY BIRTHDAY: The Highway Patrol turns 80 this year and it may be a good year for a quiet celebration. Another misconduct allegation involving sex has been exposed and the patrol is not having a lot of success reversing a culture in which some troopers expected on-duty escapades as an unofficial fringe benefit. Patrol leaders asked employees to try to knock it off in honor of the patrol's anniversary.

CONS BEATING PROS: Republicans dug in on their opposition to Democratic health care reforms with U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick saying that a Democrat health care system might not have caught her breast cancer in time. Sen. Richard Burr said the plan would just shift the cost of the health care system to taxpayers. On the other side, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan isn't ready to pick a reform plan, although she's sure one is needed.

WE'RE SAVED: A television advertisement funded by a conservative group catalogues corruption scandals involving Democrats. The group proclaims that it's here to rescue America from "radical socialism." A 30-second spot will probably just about do it.

IN OTHER NEWS: President Bill Clinton wasn't rattled by Sen. Jesse Helms inflammatory statements. Sen. Joe Lieberman is watering down an energy bill in an effort to get Republicans, including Burr, on board. State Rep. Ty Harrell has resigned his seat over questions about his campaign finance reports.