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On the campaign trail, taking the moral high ground can sometimes mean ending up in an uncomfortable place. North Carolina Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a Democrat running for governor, is being reminded of that lesson after extending an olive branch last week to her primary opponent, state Treasurer Richard Moore, by pulling all her negative advertising off the air and asking third-party groups to do the same.

It didn't take long for Moore to dismiss the move as a political gimmick, and on Monday his campaign kept the pressure up with a new attack ad (subscription) blasting Perdue as a poor business manager, ill-prepared to run the state. About half of the 30-second spot is devoted to criticizing Perdue; the other half praises Moore as a "trusted manager" and good steward of North Carolina's finances.

Moore has also hit Perdue for failing to rein in her surrogates -- in particular, two independent groups that this week sent out a mailer questioning Moore's performance as state treasurer. (Perdue has since reiterated her appeals for a positive campaign.) Although North Carolina voters tell pollsters they approve of Perdue's pledge, it looks as if partisans on both sides will make it a tough promise to keep.