And to quote the noted homespun philosopher Martha Stewart, that is both a good thing and a not-so-good thing.

First, the good part. Hackney, whom Democrats nominated last week to be House speaker, is Mr. Clean.

Despite a quarter of a century in the legislative meat grinder, Hackney's apron has few spatters. The 61-year-old Chapel Hill attorney has been a leading advocate of ethics reform and will almost certainly set a more elevated tone in the House than Black.

Now for the bad part.

Hackney lacks some of the political and bedside skills of Doc Black, the Charlotte optometrist who for the past eight years administered to the House Demo-cratic caucus.

The nomination of Hackney was not a popularity contest. It was a competency test. Hackney, who can come across as frosty and abrupt, is not a beloved figure on Jones Street. He is also wary of the news media.

But what he lacks in personality, Hackney makes up in smarts, seasoning and the trust of his colleagues.

Hackney has had a 26-year apprenticeship for the speaker's job. But it took special circumstances for him to get there.

If it had not been for the scandals and the threat of a federal indictment, Black would undoubtedly be seeking a record fifth term as speaker.

If some of Black's political lieutenants had not been defeated (Phil Baddour of Goldsboro and David Redwine of Brunswick County) or taken a state job (Bill Culpepper of Edenton), Hackney might not have risen.

If former House Speaker Dan Blue, one of the most gifted North Carolina lawmakers of his generation, had not accumulated so many political scars -- some self-inflicted -- he might have been speaker again.

The knock on Hackney can be summed up in what has become a red-state epithet: "Chapel Hill liberal."

Former Sen. Jesse Helms is often quoted as saying -- wrongly attributed to him, Helms says -- that Chapel Hill should be fenced off and declared the state zoo.

But these are halcyon days for Chapel Hill liberals. One, John Edwards, is a serious candidate for president. Another, David Price, is one of the cardinals of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. A third is about to become state House speaker. A fourth, Beverly Perdue, is a leading candidate for governor.

Will Crook's Corner become the new power restaurant? Will lobbyists displace anti-war protesters on Franklin Street?

Hackney's liberal proclivities can be seen in his pro-environmental stands, his pro-choice views on abortion and his skepticism about the death penalty.

But his politics have evolved as his political constituency has shifted from Chapel Hill parochialism to more of a statewide focus. He became more of a centrist as House majority leader, and he will likely become more attuned to the state's business and rural interests after he becomes Mr. Speaker.

Just don't expect him to slap you on the back.