Mike Easley's latest explanation still smells

Looks like former Gov. Mike Easley is now saying, "No, no, what I meant to say was ... ." The News & Observer this morning has the goods on Easley's borrowing/lease/belated purchase/friendly arrangement of a personal/family/campaign vehicle. The N&O had previously reported a strange deal in which Easley's son and his wife were driving vehicles owned by auto dealerships, not by the well-paid former first family. When initially contacted by the N&O about the car deal, Easley claimed the car was a lease and that he had purchased the SUV, which his son had been driving, when the lease expired. Now, Easley has filed amended campaign reports indicating the vehicle was a political campaign vehicle since 2002 that subsequently became a family vehicle. You'll not be surprised to discover that a federal grand jury apparently is now looking into the cozy relationship between the Easleys and the car dealer.

Hasn't somebody told him: Mike, this just isn't worth it. You and the missus are raking in well over $200,000 a year. You can afford to buy a couple of cars! You don't need to risk prison to save a few hundred bucks a month! 

Easley, an amiable, likable, funny guy, can do dead-on impersonations of people, including former Gov. Jim Hunt. Now you have to wonder if he will be impersonating former Speaker of the House Jim Black, who went to prison over political corruption.

The car deal is not the only issue the former governor is facing. It was reported last week that a grand jury is looking into a land deal on the coast, which had been revealed by investigative newspaper reporters before Easley left office. Easley appears to have paid a below-market price for a valuable waterfront lot in a deal accommodated by some political supporters.

These questionable deals come atop published reports of Mary Easley's expensive tour of European museums at state expense, the Easleys' Italian vacation at state expense and Mary Easley's sweetheart deal of a non-competitive $180,000 job at N.C. State University. Despite all this, Easley remained popular to the end of his second term, and North Carolina voters gave his Democratic Party major victories up and down the ballot in November.

If Easley is indicted for either the land deal or the car deal, North Carolina will find itself on the level of Louisiana and Illinois, where imprisoned former governors are just part of the political facts of life. And the imprisoned governors' political party never seems to suffer.