Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk was in North Carolina on Saturday, rallying the troops on behalf of his good pal and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Kirk -- whose biggest accomplishment as mayor, apparently, was "building coalitions -- namely between the city council and school board" -- spent the day in such NC towns as Elizabeth City, Tarboro, Kinston, Wilmington and Raleigh. Kirk, who introduced Obama at his Reunion Arena rally in February, offered among his reasons for visiting: “You might wonder why a former mayor of Dallas would come all the way to Kinston. For one, we’re jealous -- unfortunately, we’re still written off as a red state, so we don’t get nearly the attention and the love [in Texas]. And more than anything, I just came to thank you on behalf of the campaign.” --Robert Wilonsky