Democrat stirs pot, rises; Republicans fall

Making waves can raise a legislator's effectiveness ranking, at least if that House member is a Democrat.

Rep. Linda Coleman, the Knightdale Democrat who held up passage of the state budget on a failing crusade for higher state employee raises, ranked 38th of 120 House members in the effectiveness rankings complied by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research.

Coleman's ranking is the highest ever for a first-term female House member and the fifth highest ever for a freshman.

Creating a stir didn't work as well for House Republicans in the rankings released Wednesday. Two Republican members who waged open warfare with the Democratic leadership and GOP Rep. Richard Morgan are at the bottom of the list.

Rep. John W. Rhodes of Mecklenburg is ranked 120, and Rep. John Blust of Greensboro is 119.

The rankings are based on surveys of legislators, registered lobbyists and capital news reporters. Eighty-one House members responded to the survey, as did 36 of 50 senators, 173 of 442 lobbyists and 10 of 16 reporters.

The top 10 spots on the state Senate side remained fairly static since the last ratings compiled for 2003. Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat was first, Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, at No. 10, remained the highest ranking Republican, and there was a little shuffling in between.

At 20th, Sen. Julia Boseman, a New Hanover Democrat, has the highest ranking ever for a first-term female legislator in the Senate and the second highest ever for a freshman, according to the center. Sen. Richard Stevens of Cary is the third-highest ranking Republican. He comes in at 22, six slots behind Republican Minority Leader Phil Berger of Eden.

The House showed more motion, with Democrats Edd Nye of Elizabethtown, Pryor Gibson III of Wadesboro and Doug Young of Scotland County breaking into the top 10. House Speaker Jim Black, a Mecklenburg Democrat, has remained atop the list since his first term leading the chamber in 1999.

Gains made by second-term House members stand out, said Ran Coble, the center's director. For example, Rep. Deborah Ross, a Raleigh Democrat, jumped 30 spots from 41st to 11th. Republicans making the biggest gains are sophomores. Rep. Carolyn Justice of Pender County moved up 24 spots to 45th, and Rep. Bill Daughtridge of Nash County jumped 23 spots to 44th.

Answer, in so many words

There are more than 6,000 non-Iraqi private security contractors supporting the United States military and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, including employees of North Carolina-based Blackwater Security Consulting. The presence of so many armed contractors on the battlefield is a new phenomenon, and one that the U.S. justice system hasn't caught up with yet. Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have been punished for various infractions there, but not a single contractor has been prosecuted, despite reports of shootings of innocent civilians.

A News & Observer analysis last month of voluntary "serious incident reports" by security contractors to U.S. authorities found that it was common for them to shoot into civilian vehicles as a technique to prevent the Iraqis from getting too close.

President Bush wasn't able to clear up the issue Monday at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C., when a female student raised the topic after he gave a speech. According to a White House transcript, this is how the discussion went:

Q: My question is in regard to private military contractors. Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. I asked your secretary of defense a couple months ago what law governs their actions.

Bush: I was going to ask him. Go ahead. (Laughter.) Help. (Laughter.)

Q: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (Laughter.) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against-- over our American military contractors. I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?

Bush: I appreciate that very much. I wasn't kidding -- (Laughter.) I was going to -- I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I've got an interesting question. (Laughter.) This is what delegation -- I don't mean to be dodging the question, although it's kind of convenient in this case, but never -- (Laughter.) I really will -- I'm going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That's how I work. I'm -- thanks. (Laughter.)