Gov. Beverly Perdue borrowed a page from President Obama tonight.

In her first State of the State speech before the legislature, the Democratic governor noted the "tough times" in the economy and called for an end to political bickering.

"Starting today, it is no longer business as usual for North Carolina's budget," she said. "I want all of our citizens to know that it's a new day in North Carolina. Everything is on the table. We do not have time for talk-show political posturing or petty partisan games."

Though the state capital has a handful of political talk shows — N.C. Spin, News 14 Carolina's "Political Connections" and some episodes of "Headline Saturday" — it is hardly overrun by the pundits that rule Washington, D.C.

(Kim Genardo's "At Issue" show was canceled last month.)

But President Obama has gotten a lot of mileage in recent weeks out of criticizing radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

There are a number of radio shows around the state with similar styles to Limbaugh, such as those on WPTF AM radio in the Triangle. But they don't have a statewide reach.

U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler has made an interesting enemy.

Washington-based newspaper The Politico writes that the Waynesville Democrat is No. 1 on the bad list of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Shuler got on her bad side by voting against both bank bailout bills and the stimulus package and telling a Raleigh audience that House leaders "failed." 

The thing that riles Pelosi most, according to several House aides, is that she believes Shuler's motives are as much political as they are ideological — and that he's picking a fight with her to position himself for a run against Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) next year.

As the paper notes, Shuler was portrayed as "a Pelosi acolyte" by his 2006 opponent, then Rep. Charles Taylor.

He beats out conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh, Republican Rep. Eric Cantor and another Blue Dog Democrat, Rep. Jim Cooper, for the top spot on Pelosi's list. 

* Gov. Beverly Perdue ordered proposals for deeper cuts to state government, including "The Lost Colony" drama and the High Point Furniture Market.

* Senate Finance co-chair David Hoyle is worried that the federal stimulus money is not enough to fix a potential $3 billion state budget hole.

* President Obama's speech at Camp Lejeune will be on "the way forward" in Iraq, expected to include more details on 19-month withdrawal plan.

* Democratic polling firm in Raleigh stirs up the blood of conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh for tracking how women felt about him.

A new radio ad running in Sen. Richard Burr's community of Winston-Salem urges him to support the economic stimulus package now being considered by Congress.

The ad, sponsored by Americans United for Change, references conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who said on his program on January 16, "I hope he fails," of President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan. The ad urges listeners to call the U.S. Capitol switchboard.

The radio spot, narrated by a female voice, points out that the bill received no Republican votes in the House, and that it now goes to the Senate.

"The question is, Will our senator, Richard Burr, side with Rush Limbaugh too?"

The ad will run this week at WSJS-AM in Winston-Salem, according to Americans United for Change. Also helping to pay for the ad are the MoveOn.org political action committee, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the Service Employees International Union.

Burr, a Republican, is up for re-election in 2010. He has said he will not support the economic recovery stimulus bill as it now stands.

After the jump, the script.

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Dr. Ada Fisher is again taking a stand in the race for a new Republican national chairman.

As one of three black members of the Republican National Committee, the Salisbury doctor is in a rare position for the GOP as it figures out how to respond to the election of Barack Obama.

Earlier this month, Fisher announced her support for South Carolina chairman Katon Dawson in his bid for the head of the national party, despite a controversy over his membership in a country club that doesn't admit blacks.

Now she has criticized another candidate for the top post, Chip Saltsman, for distributing a CD as a Christmas gift that included a song by Rush Limbaugh called "Barack the Magic Negro."

"Racist actions and deeds have no place in the party," she wrote in an open letter to Saltsman. "The lack of sensitivity in understanding the historical election we just had and the challenges this nation faces as we must bind our wounds as well as bring our people together requires that we set aside our biases and search out those constitutional principles inherent in our nation's foundings and our parties operation which must undergrid us as we move forward."

The statement after the jump.

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Thomas Friedman earned the first big round of applause today.

Aiming his sights at talk show host Rush Limbaugh, the New York Times columnist said that if global warming were not true, it would be the "greatest hoax" ever perpretrated on the United States.

He said that regardless of whether global warming happens, the United States should reduce its energy use and be more green because it would lead to better security and a stronger economy.

"It's like training for the Olympic triathlon," he said. "If the Olympics are held, you may win. If they are not held, you're fitter, healthier and smarter," he said.

That earned the first big round of applause at the Emerging Issues Forum today. (Earlier, a few people clapped when speaker Amory Lovins said sardonically that the U.S. military is trying to reduce its oil usage so that it won't have to fight wars in oil-rich areas.)

But Friedman said he didn't need applause.

"You don't need to clap," he said. "This isn't Crossfire."

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr wants an apology from Mitt Romney.

The junior U.S. senator from North Carolina rushed to defend Bob Dole—World War II icon and husband of fellow Tar Heel senator Elizabeth Dole—after Romney called Mr. Dole out this morning in an interview on Fox News, Barb Barrett reports.

Bob Dole yesterday compared GOP presidential candidate John McCain favorably to stalwart Jesse Helms in a letter to talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who says McCain isn't conservative enough.

This morning, Romney told Fox News: "Well, it's probably the last person I would have wanted write a letter for me. I think there a lot of folks who tend to think that maybe John McCain's race is a bit like Bob Dole's race. That it's the guy who's next in line, the inevitable choice."

Burr, a strong ally of McCain’s, said Romney's words "divide Republicans."

"It is one thing to attack your campaign opponent, but it is another to insult a well-respected American hero like Bob Dole," Burr said in a statement. "Governor Romney should apologize."

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole has written a letter to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh defending the conservative credentials of Arizona Sen. John McCain.

He even compares McCain with former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, reports Rob Christensen.

“Not that many care but I have not been involved in the Republican Primary contest because Elizabeth, a good conservative, is running for reelection in North Carolina where Romney, McCain and Huckabee each enjoy considerable support,” Dole writes in his letter.

Dole, who was Senate Republican leader from 1985-96, said he could not recall "a single instance" when McCain failed to support the GOP on a critical vote.

Dole said McCain was consistently pro-life, a strong advocate for strict constructionist judges, supported voluntary school prayer and backed a constitutional amendment for a balanced budget.

Dole's letter included a chart showing that McCain supported Reagan and the first President Bush as strongly if not more strongly than Helms.