* By percent, how much N.C. likes recent presidents in a poll: Reagan (44), Obama (29), Clinton (18), W. Bush (6), H.W. Bush (3).

* Liberal commentator Chris Fitzsimon, among others, takes issue with N&O/Char-O story about a "liberal shift" in the state legislature.

* Greensboro News-Record columnist Doug Clark argues that George Holding should be allowed to stay on the Easley, Edwards cases.

* U.S. Sen. Richard Burr finds "being the minority is liberating" because the majority sets the agenda and he can "delve into policy." 

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry says the Reagan era is over.

The Cherryville Republican is quoted in an article in Time magazine this week exploring the future of the Republican Party:

The most urgent question is the meaning of economic conservatism. Representative Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, a conservative who keeps a bust of Reagan on his desk, surprised me by declaring that the Reagan era is over. "Marginal tax rates are the lowest they've been in generations, and all we can talk about is tax cuts," he said. "The people's desires have changed, but we're still stuck in our old issue set."

A representative from the Democratic National Committee, which has not targeted McHenry much in the past, e-mails Dome this link to his House Web site, where he talks about his support for further tax cuts or a flat tax.

Previously: Is McHenry mulling higher office?

Two prominent North Carolina conservatives oppose two of President Obama's appointments.

Bob Luddy, a major Republican donor and founder of CaptiveAire, and GOP political consultant Marc Rotterman are among the 14 conservatives who signed a recent letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The letter states that they oppose the confirmations of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Attorney General Eric Holder and "ethical and philosophical grounds."

It notes that Geithner failed to pay income tax in previous years. It does not state any specific objections to Holder, though some conservatives have complained about his role in Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

"This is a seminal moment for the GOP," the letter reads. "Will it continue as the party of George Bush, or will it return to its populist roots of Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater?"

Oddly, the letter ends by asking McConnell to oppose the confirmation of "these three men," but it does not mention a third appointee.

Other signatories include the editor of RedState.com, the director of the American Conservative Union, the publisher of the American Spectator magazine and direct-mail pioneer Richard Viguerie.

Update: Dome was inadvertently sent a previous version. The final version reads "these two men."

Sen. Elizabeth Dole gave her farewell address on the Senate floor on Wednesday.

The North Carolina Republican used her final floor speech to pay tribute to many mentors, beginning with several family members such as her grandmother, whom she called Mom Cathey, her parents, siblings and nephews, Lisa Zagaroli reports.

Dole thanked several presidents as well: Richard Nixon for her years on the Federal Trade Commission, Ronald Reagan for her appointment as secretary of transportation, and George H.W. Bush for her job as secretary of labor.

"We've worked hard," she said in thanking her Senate staff. "We had some fun along the way too. And we made a positive difference for North Carolina and America."

Of her husband, Bob, the former senator from Kansas, she said he was a constant example that "a leader should have not only a strong backbone, but also a funny bone."

"I could never have dreamed of the people I've been privileged to meet, the jobs I've been privileged to hold or the issues I've been privileged to influence," said Dole, who lost her re-election bid to Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat.

Quoting Theodore Roosevelt about working hard at "work worth doing," Dole said, "While I don't know what awaits me in life's journey, what will come next, I pray that I'll find a way to continue to work hard at work worth doing."

The Eastern District U.S. attorney usually has a strong political patron.

For most of the last 20 years, the federal prosecutor in Raleigh appointed by the president has been closely tied to Sen. Jesse Helms, except during Democratic administrations.

Here is a list of former U.S. attorneys and their patrons:

George Anderson: (1977-1980) Backed by Democratic Sen. Robert Morgan; appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Sam Currin: (1981-1987) Former Helms aide. Backed by Helms; appointed by President Ronald Reagan.

Margaret Currin: (1988-1993) The wife of the previous U.S. attorney. Backed by Helms; appointed by Reagan.

Janice McKenzie Cole: (1994-2001) Backed by Democratic U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton; appointed by President Bill Clinton. (No Democratic senator at that time.)

Frank Whitney: (2002-2005) Former Helms legislative counsel. Backed by Republican lawyer Tom Ellis, Helms' longtime political strategist; appointed by President George W. Bush.

George Holding: (2005-present) Former Helms aide and Whitney's No. 2 at U.S. attorney's office. Backed by Ellis; appointed by Bush.

John Davis says Barack Obama will win North Carolina.

The freelance political consultant and former president of N.C. FREE argues in an Oct. 21 newsletter that the Democratic presidential candidate will win because of an anti-incumbent mood, an unprecedent organization and massive fundraising.

The Barack Obama candidacy for U.S. President, built upon a foundation of voter anger, has become one of the great success stories in American history; successful in great part due to his adeptness at navigating political turbulence. Obama has also capitalized on the other force in 2008 politics: generational change. Obama is 46 years old, McCain is 73. Expecting a 23-year-old new voter to vote for a 73-year-old candidate is like expecting a 60-year-old voter to vote for a candidate who is 110 years old.

He adds that the next oldest presidents were Ronald Reagan and William Henry Harrison, who died after a month in office.

The Republican Governors Association has apparently turned on one of its own.

In a new ad, the group calls Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beverly Perdue manipulative, using footage of her in a UNC-TV interview from 2000.

"I do really admire someone who can be charming and manipulative at the same time," she says in the ad.

According to an Aug. 4, 2002, story in the Charlotte Observer, Perdue went on to say "...if they can be on the right side of public policy issues."

So who was Perdue talking about? Former president Ronald Reagan.

You know, the former Republican governor who chaired the Republican Governors Association from 1968 to 1969.

Barack Obama linked John McCain to Wall Street's recent troubles Sunday.

Speaking before 20,000 at a rally in Charlotte, the Democratic presidential candidate argued that Republicans have created "an era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington."

"They said they wanted to let the market run free, but instead they let it run wild," Obama said. "And now we are facing a financial crisis as profound as any we have faced since the Great Depression."

It was the largest rally in the Queen City since 15,000 turned out to hear Bill Clinton in 1992, though about 40,000 came to a South Charlotte rally for President Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Speaking in the heart of the country's second biggest banking center, Obama called the federal government's proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout "sobering."

A McCain spokesman criticized Obama for offering few detailed proposals. (Char-O)

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has been among the most admired women in an annual poll.

Between 1996 and 2003, Dole was among the top 10 women named by Americans based on random phone surveys done by Gallup each December since 1946. She was also in the top 10 in 1987, 1990 and 2005.

She first landed in the top 10 as Transportation secretary under President Reagan and again while serving as Labor secretary under the first President Bush.

Her highest ratings were in the 1990s, when she headed the American Red Cross, particularly in 1996 when her husband Bob ran for president and in 1998 and 1999 when she ran for president. Her lowest ratings were in the early 1990s and after she became a U.S. senator in 2003.

In 2004 and 2006, Dole received one percent, but she was not in the top 10. In 2007, Dole received less than half a percent, her lowest score since 1994.

In recent years, the list has also grown, with women such as Condoleezza Rice, Angelina Jolie and Nancy Pelosi joining such longtime stalwarts as Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Thatcher. That has pushed Dole farther down the list.

The top 10 list does not include respondents who answered "None or No Opinion," "Other" or "Friend or Relative." Those responses would typically receive a substantial percentage.

Dole's rankings since 1987 after the jump.

Correction: Some numbers have been changed based on new information.

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A recent TV ad by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee questions U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole's effectiveness and support for President Bush.

What it says: Two men are sitting on rocking chairs in front of an old country store. "I'm telling you, Liddy Dole is 93." "93?" "Yep, she ranks 93rd in effectiveness." "After 40 years in Washington?" "After 40 years in Washington, Dole is 93rd in effectiveness, right near the bottom." "I've read she's 92." "Didn't I just tell you she's 93?" "No, 92 percent of the time she votes with Bush." "What's happened to the Liddy Dole I knew?" "She's just not a go-getter, like you and me." A narrator then adds: "The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising."

The background: Dole has worked in Washington in the late 1960s, serving on the Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Secretrary of Transportation under President Reagan and U.S. Secretary of Labor under President George H.W. Bush.

In 2002, she was elected U.S. senator from North Carolina.

In her first year in office, Dole voted with President Bush 98 percent of the time, according to an annual study of Senate votes tied to a clear presidential position done by Washington-based news service Congressional Quarterly.

Over the next four years, Dole's support of Bush declined to 85 percent, but her five-year average of support is 91.6 percent.

An annual study conducted since 2005 by the Congressional data service Knowlegis ranks members of Congress on their effectiveness.

After scoring in the middle of the pack the first two years, Dole's rating plummeted to 93rd when Republicans became the minority in the Senate in 2007.

Her rating was also low due to fewer mentions in the news media and service on less powerful committees on banking and armed services.

Dole's campaign notes that those committees are important to North Carolina, home to a number of banks and military bases.

"I've seen hundreds of senators come and go," argued her husband Bob at a recent event. "In both parties, I've seen good senators and I know how they work. You have a work horse and a show horse, and Elizabeth's in the work horse category."

As a side note, the ad subtly implies that Dole is in her 90s. She is actually 72.

Is the ad accurate? Yes, except for the implication about her age.