The two rivals in the North Carolina Senate race say they support a compromise energy proposal put forward recently by a bipartisan group of 10 senators.

The proposal would allow for drilling off the coast of North Carolina and other states, encourage conservation and promote tax credits for alternative car fuels.

Hagan said she supports the plan.

"While the bill is not perfect, I have learned during my time in the [state] Senate that compromise and consensus are necessary if we are to get anything done," she said in a news release this week.

Dole's camp fired back, charging that there is no bill yet.

"She's telling us to sign on to a bill that doesn't exist," said spokesman Hogan Gidley, adding that Dole supports the idea.

Hagan's campaign noted that Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., among others, described the proposal as a "bill" on his Web site.

"Whether you call it a bill or a proposal or idea, it's out there," said Hagan spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan.

'Bev,' more or less

Quick: What's the first name of the Democratic gubernatorial nominee?

If you said "Beverly," you'd be correct. But if you said "Bev," you'd also be correct.

Lt. Gov. Perdue has gone by both names in her time in office, but her campaign currently seems to be promoting "Bev" over "Beverly."

Both her campaign and official Web sites list her as "Bev," as have a number of mailers and e-mail messages. (Her official lieutenant governor's Web site, however, has more than a few references to "Beverly" on it.)

Perdue has gone back and forth professionally. In 1996, she was on the ballot as "Beverly M. Perdue," a reference to her maiden name. In 2000, she was on the ballot as "Beverly Perdue," and in 2004, she was listed as "Beverly Eaves Perdue," adopting her second husband's last name.

But she was on the May 6 primary ballot as "Bev Perdue."

Not everyone is going for the nickname, however. Republican nominee Pat McCrory's campaign and the N.C. Republican Party regularly refer to her as "Beverly Perdue." Primary opponent Richard Moore stuck with "Bev," though.

North Carolina newspapers are split but clearly favor "Beverly." A search of the Nexis database shows 2,591 references to "Beverly Perdue" versus 348 references to "Bev Perdue" since 1994, about a seven-to-one ratio.

'Pat,' mostly

The Republican gubernatorial nominee is fairly set on his first name. It's Pat.

Though he occasionally goes by Patrick, McCrory has generally favored the shortened version of his first name.

The Charlotte mayor was listed as Pat on all but one ballot in municipal races between 1995 and 2007 as well as in the May primary. Only on the 2001 ballot was he listed as "Patrick L. (Pat) McCrory."

Both his campaign and official mayoral Web sites list him as "Pat," although a few scattered references to "Patrick" can be found on the city site.

Google heavily favors "Pat," with 55,700 hits over 5,680 for "Patrick" -- a 10-to-1 ratio. And the state's newspapers have only used the longer name 57 times compared with thousands for the short version.

Not to mention that McCrory referred to himself as "Uncle Pat" in his kickoff speech.

As with "Bev" Perdue and "Kay" Hagan, "Pat" McCrory is a more friendly version of his name that no doubt serves to make him seem more accessible.

'I' word carries the day

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller felt a little out of place at a recent Judiciary Committee hearing.

The Raleigh Democrat was one of several witnesses who testified in late July at a hearing on whether President Bush had exceeded his constitutional authority.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Miller said the legal questions he raised were overshadowed by former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich's talk of impeachment.

Other witnesses included Washington lawyer Bruce Fein, who has written a play about impeaching Bush, and Vincent Bugliosi, author of "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder."

Miller said he was reminded of a long-ago TV character known for being the one normal person in a weird family -- and shunned for it.

"I felt like Marilyn Munster," he said.