Martin had left his sickbed at the Executive Mansion to answer charges that his tax-paid Research Office had been gathering information on his political opponents.

During a rambling 90-minute news conference, a sweating Martin invited the attorney general, the state auditor, the chairman of the Democratic Party and the Wake district attorney to join the news conference so he could ask them some questions.

Two days later, Martin hand-delivered a letter to Claude Sitton, then the editor of The News & Observer, saying he was through with politics. "It's too brutal for me," Martin said.

At the end of his term, Martin returned to private life in Charlotte.

The irony is that Martin was by most measures a good governor -- bright, honest, hard-working and forward-looking.

But he was suffering from the dreaded disease second term-itis.

Now it's Easley's turn. I was with Easley that day 18 years ago because he was seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate -- which he ended up losing to former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt. Easley recovered from his loss and was elected attorney general. He was elected governor in 2000 and re-elected in 2004.

Ever since North Carolina changed the state Constitution in the 1970s to allow governors to run for consecutive terms, governors have struggled in their second terms.

Easley's recent problems have been well documented.

There was the Interstate 40 fiasco, where newly laid asphalt had to be ripped up and replaced at a cost of $21.7 million. There were the mental health reforms that wasted at least $400 million on unneeded services. There have been the usual hijinks at the Division of Motor Vehicles. And then there is the case of the disappearing e-mail and the ruse of switching automobiles to avoid answering pesky reporters' questions.

Easley's second-term woes follow a pattern.

Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt was the first North Carolina governor to serve two full terms. Hunt's initial second term, 1981-85, was dominated by his epic challenge to Republican Sen. Jesse Helms. For 18 straight months, Hunt was the subject of critical Helms ads. By the time he left office, his popularity was at a low ebb.

But he recovered, and Hunt was elected to another two terms (1993-2001). In his second term (1997-01), Hunt was beset with charges of cronyism and favoritism in the Department of Transportation. He was also criticized for not doing enough to improve mental health services.

Presidents have the same problem. George W. Bush has seen his popularity plunge in his second term. As for Bill Clinton's second term, I have two words -- Monica Lewinsky. Ronald Reagan suffered from the Iran-Contra scandal in his second term.

Chief executives run out of good will and political green stamps. Long-festering problems catch up. There are always a few public employees doing something that will eventually blow up in the boss's face.

Easley's management style has made him more vulnerable. When he first ran for office in 2000, he vowed to run a Cabinet-style government.

True to his word, Easley has given his Cabinet secretaries wide latitude. It is the longest-serving Cabinet in North Carolina history.

But this has resulted in a less hands-on management style -- and a case of second term-itis.