"To think that government could ever be other than selfish and venal and manipulative is a mistake," he says.

Someone with such a low opinion of government might seem like an odd choice to lead one. But the Libertarian, who also is chairman of the Duke University political science department, wants to be the next governor.

And he thinks he'd be an excellent one precisely because of his fervent mistrust of nearly everything government does.

Munger wants to create a robust school-voucher program, end the death penalty, curb cities' power to annex property, slash many state departments and generally be a thorn in the side of a legislature he sees as corrupt and wasteful.

He'd govern, no doubt, with the same irreverence and sharp wit that has made him a popular professor.

Munger also seems to relish lobbing verbal grenades at his would-be opponents, often flashing a Cheshire-cat grin as he does.

In a recent interview, he called Democratic candidate Bev Perdue a "Stepford wife," a reference to the movie about robot housewives. He called the fundraising practices of her main rival, Richard Moore, "repulsive."

He gave equal time to the Republicans, saying the state GOP has a history of trotting out "circus clowns" to run for governor.

"I'm claiming the [Republican] candidate in November will have big orange hair and a rubber nose," he says.

Munger, 49, studies politics for a living, so he understands that third-party candidates are long shots.

Ferrel Guillory, director of the Program on Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill, doesn't think recent scandals in state government, most notably the corruption case that landed former House Speaker Jim Black in prison, will be enough to sweep a third party into the governor's mansion.

"It would take a level of corruption that embarrasses the state more than we've had," Guillory says, though he added that Munger would be "a fascinating candidate."

Munger, of course, disagrees. The state used to engage in "soft corruption," he says.

That's changed. "We're becoming more like Louisiana, where corruption is wholesale."

A classic example of this, he says, occurred when Black, an optometrist, pushed through a measure requiring all kindergartners to get comprehensive eye exams, a provision that was dropped after it sparked protest. Black since has been sent to prison for accepting under-the-table campaign contributions.

If elected, of course, Munger would have to deal with a legislature made up of people from the two major parties.

He says that means he would do much of his governing via news conference, using his bully pulpit to call out what he sees as inappropriate uses of government power and/or taxpayer money.

"To the extent that I'm able to be a free agent ... I'm actually in a good position to be a broker for the people of North Carolina and provide leadership by asking embarrassing questions."

But, first, he has to get in the race.

Getting on the ballot

Third parties face a high bar to get on the ballot. State law requires them to gather signatures equal to 2 percent of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial race. This year, that number is 69,733.

Barbara Howe, chairwoman of the N.C. Libertarian Party, says party workers actually have to collect more than 100,000 signatures to achieve that, because many are invalidated for various reasons. They're about 6,000 signatures shy of that goal now.

A ballot petition drive costs $100,000 to $150,000, according to a lawsuit filed by the Libertarians and the Green Party seeking an end to the petition requirement. The suit was continued indefinitely after a brief hearing Monday. The plaintiffs hope to be back in court next month.

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