At the drop of a wad of cash.

The Uptown paper of record today really outdoes itself in rushing to condemn Jim Black’s greed and corruption just a day after declaring a “sad day” for North Carolina over Black’s rending of the public trust. To wit:

Former House Speaker Jim Black’s admission in federal court that he sought and took illegal cash payments from special interests changes everything. It’s no longer a case of a well-placed politician stepping over the ethical line, going overboard on the exercise of power, engaging in questionable behavior.

What? This was never about politicians “stepping over the ethical line,” whatever the hell that means. It was never about canned hams and fruitcakes, per Jim Black’s famously cynical put down of a modest tightening of what lobbyists could give lawmakers.

This was about the use and abuse of raw political power. Always has been.

The problem for the Observer is that the paper quite often liked the way that Black used and abused his power. The paper defended the way Jim Black promised Johnson & Wales $10 million to move to Charlotte. The paper loved that Black used and abused his power to plop a $44 million pork-barrell building for UNCC in Uptown. Couldn’t wait to start arguing it was the perfect compliment to a light rail line running up Tryon to the main UNCC campus.

That is why despite today’s attempt at a reversal, this should stand as the Observer’s final word on the Black era:

Perhaps the saddest thing about Mr. Black’s flawed stewardship of the House is that his policy instincts were in line with our state’s most pressing priorities. He focused on education, jobs and other human needs. He was an uncommonly effective spokesman for the interests of this region.

Remember that as the scandal widens, our traffic backs up, and local criminals skip out of jail.