Roger Ebert for governor?

Which critic is running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination?

At the debate last week and again at the WRAL debate tonight, state Sen. Fred Smith referred to a "critic" presumably running for office.

Dome has said before that we think this is a veiled shot at rival Bill Graham, an attorney who has never served in elected office but did run a statewide campaign to cap the gas tax—and, to a lesser degree, fight illegal immigration.

Tonight, it became clear, just after Graham finished speaking about his work on the gas tax, taking a page from the "Reagan playbook," to go over the heads of the politicians and straight to the people.

Smith spoke next. "All I hear is criticism and talk," he said. "Criticism and talk is not going to solve our problems. We need a leader."