Ickes' comments

I don't have a dog in the fight when it comes to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama but I was appalled today to see Harold Ickes, a top Clinton adviser, declare that 'the Carolinas are not going to be in the Democratic column in November.'

It's not just an emotional reaction because I'm mad that the Clintons would ignore our state, although that certainly does make me mad.

What makes me really mad is that the data that is out there simply doesn't support his presumption that North Carolina is off the table.

When we polled Obama and Clinton against John McCain last month, our survey showed both of them trailing by just five points and gaining against the Republican nominee compared to a similar poll we did in January.

So it's not even just that North Carolina is in the picture for Democrats if Obama is the nominee. Even Clinton appears to have the best shot at this state since her husband came close in 1992.

Is North Carolina likely to go Democratic for President this fall? No. But is it on the table? Absolutely, much more than in recent cycles, and this is a tremendous opportunity for Democrats to beat back the emerging trend of a one party South in federal elections.

I hope Ickes didn't really mean what he said.