The Post and Courier reports that at a recent Dorchester County Republican Party fundraiser there was a straw poll about who should be the state's next governor.

That polling barely favored Attorney General Henry McMaster, with Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer just one vote behind.

As unhappy as I've been with McMaster's publicity thumping about Craigslist, I've got even less love for Bauer, a man who's already shown a willingness to use the power of a state office to bend the rules to his advantage.

In 2003, Bauer was pulled over for running red lights and going 60 mph in downtown Columbia's 35 mph streets.

After that he said, "I don't expect to be treated any differently than other citizens of South Carolina."

Then in 2006, two state troopers were perusing Bauer's vehicle for going in excess of 100 mph on I-77; he radioed the troopers, telling them to back off.

Apparently he forgot three years later in 2006. So what's in for us in 2009?

A distant third in the polling was U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett.