Who Is The Texas Grinch?

Cornyn <3's Petraeus

We saw it coming when Cornyn stood up for Petraeus on CNN last week, becoming BFF's, but as the Senate considers legislation that can determine the future direction of the Iraq War (i.e. Webb's Dwell Time Amendment), Cornyn will actually take the time to formally write up a Senate resolution... condemning a newspaper ad.

Our men and women, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters are stuck in a quagmire of a war overseas, and Cornyn wants to sit in his corner and have a pity party for himself.

Join Rick Noriega and me as we tell Cornyn to move on from MoveOn, and that there are more important things that we should be taking the time to consider in the Senate chambers.

Craig Makes Surprise Return to Capitol Hill, Cornyn Still Supporting!

Twelve days before his "intended" resignation, Larry Craig surprises many colleagues by ducking into a policy lunch, before joining the Republicans in the chamber.

"Senators and aides were caught off-guard by the embattled conservative’s appearance in a chamber where many had expected the stigma of a gay sex sting arrest to keep Craig away for good," according to The Hill.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), vice chairman of the GOP conference, has stayed mum on the scandal due to the Ethics Committee investigation he may have to help steer against Craig if the Idahoan hangs on to his seat. But Cornyn was supportive with a kind word for Craig on Tuesday, telling reporters that he told Craig, “My family and I are praying for you.”

Watts Calls out Cornyn on Craig

Yesterday Junior Senator John Cornyn told the Dallas Morning News about Larry Craig, "I'm limited in what I can discuss. If a senator is alleged to have violated any Senate rule or regulation or statute, whether or not it's in the conduct of their official duties," seemingly still dodging the issue. Earlier, he made another statement, saying Mr. Craig's political future "is best left up to Senator Craig and his constituents. I make it a point not to comment on the personal problems of other senators."

Apparently, Cornyn actually can't talk about the case, as he serves on the ethics committee that may review whether Craig may be able to continue to serve, but also because he's standing up for his fellow GOPers - but is Craig worth standing up for?

Opponent and San Antonio millionaire Mikal Watts, called Cornyn to "come out of hiding" on the Craig issue, as well as two other GOP Senators that have been in question - David Vitter (LA), who admitted using escort services, and Ted Stevens (AK), whose home was raided by FBI and IRS agents in connection with a bribery investigation.

Cornyn shoots back at Watts, calling it the "desperate cry of a would-be political candidate for attention," and one that ignores his duties as a member of the ethics panel. "I'm trying to do my best to meet my responsibilities here."

Even Sean at Save the GOP jumps in on the issue:

From the files of “You can’t make this stuff up”: There is currently a debate going on at DailyKos over whether Senate candidate Mikal Watts has contributed enough to Democrat legislative candidates to get a free pass for telling a legal opponent that he had effectively bought a Texas appellate court. The Democrats have been in the Majority for less than a year and they have already gone from overlooking their incumbents’ ethical problems to recruiting candidates who think buying the government is acceptable. Not for anything, but if Craig’s alleged conduct was enough to force him out of the Senate, this should force Watts out of the race. I’d say that there should be an investigation of the incident and that Watts should probably end up in court, but we all know how that would turn out.

I'm sorry to say, Sean, that campaign contributions and speech are completely legal (albeit a little shady), while soliciting in a public bathroom most definitely is not. I'm not supporting Watts by any means, as his actions are still quite questionable, but Craig has dug himself a much deeper hole than Watts' and while Craig has voted against legislation for homosexuals, Watts doesn't even have any legislative experience to be a hypocrite in that regard - they don't even begin to compare.

A Semi-Comprehensive List of Republican Scandals, Corruption Cases, etc.

From ccmask at Firedoglake:

Jack Abramoff -prison
Bob Allen -Veteran Park sex scandal
George Allen -called an American voter a Macaca
Michael Ray Aquino -involved in espionage thru Cheney’s office
Dan Bartlett -DOJ Investigation
Michael Battle -Resigned after informing usa’s of their firing
Ken Blackwell- Election Theft
John Bolton - Resigned. Encouraged the words Yellowcake uranium in Bush’s SOTUS
Michael Brown -Resigned over his handling of Katrina and aftermath.
Conrad Burns –dropped out
George W. Bush -Invaded countries under false pretences
Ken Calvert’s - land deal scrutiny
Andy Card - Resigned. Played a critical role in justifying the Iraq war.
Tucker Carlson -Tracked & beat up a gay man with a buddy
Dick Cheney -Involved in Plame affair; said troops would be greeted with flowers
Susan Collins - Incorrectly claimed a dem tracker acted inappropriately towards her
Ann Coulter -Voter Fraud
Larry Craig -resigns over public toilet sex scandal
Duke Cunningham -prison
Tom DeLay -dropped out – Under indictment
Lorita Doan - Hatch Act violations
Pete Domenici -Iglesias firing investigation
John Doolittle -Entangled with the Jack Abramoff Affair
Lance Dutson - Susan Collins campaign staffer, called FDL a “foul mouth femblog”
Barry S. Edward -Rudy fundraiser steps down wrt sex & stolen computers
Michael Elston -Resigned after urging 4 fired attorneys to keep quiet
Alan B. Fabian -Romney co-chairman indicted fraud, obstruction & laundering
Italia Federici - Resigned. Convicted of obstruction of justice/Abramoff
Tom Feeney -focus Abramoff investigation
Douglas Feith -Resigned OSP. Manipulated intelligence to bolster war in Iraq
Ari Fleisher - Resigned; Involved in Plame Affair
Dusty Kyle Foggo -Indicted for fraud, conspiracy & money laundering
Mark Foley -sex scandal
Jeff Gannon -Illegal White House entry
Steven Griles - Resigned. Convicted of obstruction of justice/Abramoff
Alberto Gonzales- Cut & Run on heels of investigation
Monica Goodling - Heavily involved in planning USA’s dismissals
J. Timothy Griffin - Resigns after Palast turns over 500 RNC emails sent by Griffin
Ted Haggard -removed for sex and drug abuse scandal
Katherine Harris -dropped out; Gave Florida to GW Bush
Duncan Hunter -Involved in ongoing Abramoff investigation
Bernard Kerik -Under scrutiny for tax invasion
Won Kim-Resigns amid DOJ scandal
Doug Lamborn -Left threatening voicemails to locals questioning his fundraising
Ken Lay -Bush’s biggest contributor scams millions
Jerry Lewis -under federal investigation
Scooter Libby -Guilty by his peers; Innocent by his Prez
Rush Limbaugh - Illegal drug use and Importation
Mary Matalan -Attended meetings of the secretive Iraq Study Group
Paul McNulty -Resigned after saying the WH not involved in DOJ scandal
Harriet Miers -DOJ Investigation Subpeona Refusal
Gary Miller -FBI investigation on tax evasion; Withdrew DHS nomination
Lisa Murkowski -land deal scandal
Bob Ney -prison
Wally O’Dell -Bush fundraiser and CEO of Diebold; Insider trading suspicion
Richard Perle -Resigned. Bribery accusations and conflicts of interest.
Richard Pombo -Allegation of corruption and misuse of official resources
Susan Ralston -Resigned. Testified that Rove used RNC email system always
Thomas Ravenel -Indicted on Cocaine charges
Ralph Reed - investigation for his part in Abramoff scandal
Rick Renzi -home raided
Mitt Romney-Lack of oversight of Big Dig causes death of Milena Delvalle
Karl Rove -Resigned for involvement of AG scandal; Hatch Act; Outed CIA agent
John Rowland - convicted and sent to jail for bribe-taking and kickbacks.
Don Rumsfeld -Resigned. Failed to plan for a post-war Iraq.
David Safavian -convicted in Jack Abramoff scandal
Kyle Sampson - Resigned over the AG Scandal
Michael Scanlon -Guilty of corruption charges in Abramoff scandal
Brad Schlozman -resigned amid charges of politicizing DoJ
Jean Schmidt -Called Jack Murtha a coward during an Iraq debate.
Ted Stevens -under investigation
Sara Taylor -resigns amid DOJ scandal, not recalling anything.
David Vitter -sex scandals
David Wurmser -Questioned by FBI about passing classified info to Chalabi
Curt Weldon -dropped out
Heather Wilson -Iglesias firing investigation
Paul Wolfowitz -Resigned as Pres. Of World Bank for a companions’ promotion.
Don Young -under investigation

Will Cornyn Keep $10,000 From Larry Craig?

Here's a List of Senate Candidates and their contributions from Larry Craig's "Alliance For The West" PAC in the 2oo2 election cycle. [opensecrets]

Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) $5,000
Allard, Wayne (R-CO) $10,000
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) $10,000
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) $10,000
Collins, Susan M (R-ME) $1,000
Cornyn, John (R-TX) $10,000
Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) $10,000
Enzi, Mike (R-WY) $5,000
Ganske, Greg (R-IA) $10,000
Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) $10,000
Hutchinson, Tim (R-AR) $5,000
Smith, Gordon H (R-OR) $2,500
Sununu, John E (R-NH) $5,000
Talent, James M (R-MO) $6,845
Terrell, Suzanne (R-LA) $1,000
Thune, John (R-SD) $10,000

Total to Republican Senate Candidates: $111,345

Craig only made contributions to Republicans (apparently, Democrats can't support the west?), but has made sizable contributions across the country. Norm Coleman redonated Craig's money to a local charity. Susan Collins did the same thing. Pete Domenici (different election cycle, not on the list above) donated his as well.

So what happened to the $10,000 John Cornyn received from Craig? There's been no comments from the Junior Senator's office yet. I'll be waiting.

Cornyn Stands Up for Larry Craig?

Junior Senator John Cornyn said that Mr. Craig's political future "is best left up to Senator Craig and his constituents. I make it a point not to comment on the personal problems of other senators." [DMN]

This comes after not signing a letter drafted by Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stripping Craig of his committee assignments and opening an ethics investigation. Cornyn couldn't sign the letter, as he is a member of the ethics committee that may be investigating the "allegations," but his rhetoric makes it pretty clear that Cornyn sees no issue with Craig's dealings last month.

Although Hutchison signed the letter, [DMN] "She never said publicly if she thought he should resign. Repeated queries last week to aides yielded only extra copies of the McConnell news release."

Craig is Gone!

It's official!

After calls from both sides of the isle for disgraced Idaho Senator Larry Craig to step down, he announced earlier today that he will be. Check out a great post by Jane Hamsher at Firedoglake.

Hypocrisy Report: Cornyn Touts Clinic Funding, Claims to Support Firefighters

There's so many to choose from. Since his is a new segment, I'm tell you a little about what it's all about. Dictionary.com gives me several definitions of hypocrisy: "a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude. " or "An act or instance of such falseness."

So this is the segment where we'll examine how Cornyn's mouth and votes commonly do not coincide. Um.. maybe a "one step forward, twenty-two steps back" sort of progress, if you know what I mean.

This week, we have two winners. Cornyn on Healthcare, and Cornyn on Firefighters.

So on with the Hypicrisy... #1: Cornyn touts funding clinics, while underfunding children:

From the Kilgore News Herald: "U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced Monday North East Texas Public Health District in Tyler will receive $600,000 in federal funding and has gained Federally Qualified Health Clinic Status (FQHC). The funding and FQHC designation, which come through the U.S."

I'm sure the North East Texas Public Health District is a quality clinic, and I've been to Tyler several times, and it's a lovely town, so I have nothing against them. What I do hold a grudge on is that our Junior Senator John Cornyn touts this accomplishment while voting against the Senate Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization Bill. This bill covers six million children nationally, 585,000 of whom are in Texas. Cornyn also voted against SCHIP expansion that would have expanded it by $35 billion in the next five years, including an expansion of over 3 million additional kids.

"John Cornyn has turned his back on thousands of Texas children who have no where else to turn for health care," DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. "His vote was wrong, plain and simple, and the people of Texas will hold him accountable for it."

#2: Cornyn claims support for firefighter funding, votes against the same funding!
(from a Texas Democratic Party Press Release, covered at South Texas Chisme)
Cornyn Claims to Support Funding for Firefighters: In his op-ed in The Countywide [pdf], Cornyn praised the State’s “spirit of volunteerism,” which he said is exemplified by firefighters. He specifically mentioned the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program that helps first responders to be “prepared and up to date.”

This Wednesday, Republican John Cornyn attempted once again to paper over his failed record in the U.S. Senate with a newspaper opinion piece offering hollow praise for America ’s first responders. Cornyn, who has been a staunch supporter of the Bush Administration’s failed policies, specifically highlights the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program and how it has benefited Texas ’ first responders. But what Cornyn fails to mention is the fact that he actually voted AGAINST increased funding for that very same program.

“John Cornyn says that first responders ‘earn our respect and gratitude every day,’ but his rhetoric doesn’t match his record,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie. “Instead of putting words on paper, Cornyn should put his votes where his mouth is and stand up for Texas ’ first responders.”

Cornyn Voted AGAINST Increased Funding for Firefighters: During consideration of the 2005 Homeland Security spending bill, Cornyn sided with his Republican leaders in the Senate and rejected a proposal to increase funding for firefighter assistance grants by $150 million. The increase in funding would have provided protective gear for up to 200,000 firefighters, more than 650 new fire trucks, 400 new rescue vehicles or more than 33,000 new breathing masks. [Vote #175, 9/14/04; CQ, 9/14/04; Mikulski Press Release, 9/14/04]

“John Cornyn can write an article for every newspaper in Texas, but his empty rhetoric does nothing to provide our firefighters with the equipment they need to protect themselves or the people of Texas,” said Richie. “Cornyn keeps talking out of both sides of his mouth, hoping that Texas voters will believe what he says at home and ignore what he does in Washington .”

Craig Resigns?

Just heard on NPR that said disgraced Republican Idaho Senator Larry Craig has called a press conference for tomorrow probably in Boise. At least one credible source says Craig plans to resign, amid calls from colleagues on both sides of the isle... More to come I'm sure!

UPDATE: I wrote that posting from my iPhone while driving down the highway... Here's the scoop from NPR:

Embattled Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will announce Saturday what he plans to do in the wake of a chorus of calls from fellow Republicans to step down from the post he has held for 16 years. He has faced increasing pressure to resign in the wake of the news that he was caught in June in an undercover vice operation at the Minneapolis airport.

This Just In: White House Spokesman Tony Snow Steps Down!

Announced just moments ago on Reuters, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will be stepping down in two weeks. Snow, who has been battling colon cancer, will be replaced by his Deputy Press Secretary, Dana Perino.

Snow is only the latest in a string of Bush Administration officials stepping down: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales this Monday, and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove's last day was Friday.

"I'm going to try to turn cancer into a chronic disease rather than a fatal disease," said Snow on Reuters, but monsters and critics claims it was for financial reasons: 'We took out a loan when I came to the White House and that loan's now gone,' Snow said. 'Cancer has nothing to do with this decision.'

Several other top White House advisers have left since Democrats won control of Congress in November, including counselor Dan Bartlett, chief White House attorney Harriet Miers, budget chief Rob Portman, political director Sara Taylor, deputy national security adviser J.D. Crouch and Meghan O'Sullivan, a deputy national security adviser who worked on Iraq according to Bloomberg.

It's slightly reminiscent of the end of 2004 when A slew of Bush Administration officials (Ashcroft, Powell, Sec. Commerce Evans, Ag Secy. Abraham, Ed Secy Paige, and Tom Ridge) all announced resignation.

This Week's "Cornyn as Bush's Mouthpiece" Quote..

On the issue of who sounds most like George W. Bush when it comes to Alberto Gonzales... The Award goes to...

Drum roll please... Junior Texas Senator John Cornyn

Here's this week's game... Can you guess who said what? Grab a piece of paper and let's play.. write down 'B' for Bush, and 'C' for Cornyn.

1. "Alberto Gonzales...is a decent and honorable man"
2. "Al Gonzales is a man of...decency and principle"

3. "has played a role in shaping our policies in the war on terror"
4. "has served his country at a difficult time when we are engaged in a global war on terror

5. "After months of unfair treatment..."
6. "worn down by the criticism"

7. "the ferocity of relentless partisan attacks..."
8. "...was dragged through the mud for political reasons."

9. "I think it’s a sad day"
10. "It's sad that we live..."

Key: CBBCBCCBCB
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/08/20070827.html
http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ForPress.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=a84be280-802a-23ad-4fcd-2e01bafc0042&Region_id=&Issue_id=
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1672292
http://rawstory.com//news/2007/Sen._Cornyn_on_Gonzales_Critics_hounded_0827.html

What It With Republicans and Weird Sex?

"What It With Republicans and Weird Sex?"
- Jay Leno

Cornyn... Mmm Mmm Good?

Maybe Cornyn wants to make sure those folks down in Louisiana are having quality non-perishables, because a day after the two year anniversary of Katrina, John Cornyn tours the Campbells Soup Factory in Paris, Texas. It's the least he could do after voting against New Orleans neighbors ten times.

"Campbell Soup Company does more than just produce a delicious chicken noodle or cream of mushroom. Campbell's is making a positive difference for the local economy in Paris and the surrounding community."

Good job John. Drink it up, don't strain yourself on lifting that soup spoon, if that's the most work we can expect out of you!

Have You Had Enough?

Here's a lovely song that came out...
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/HYHEMix.mp3

And here's it adapted for Joe Lieberman:

Republican Backed Border Wall May Cut Off Two US College Campuses

According to the Valley Newsline, a Republican-backed wall might only slow down illegal immigrants by as much as five minutes, but would cut off two American college campuses from the mainland. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff seems quite determined to build the wall, and intends on building as soon as this fall. As the Federal Government already owns some land easements in the border region, the Feds would have built on currently owned Federally owned property, cutting off two American college campuses, and the local Mexican Colsulate.



Dr. Antonio N. Zavaleta, Dean of UTBTSC about being seperated by the wall:

"It's inconcievable. I just can't believe that a campus of an American University would be cut off and would be placed on the Mexican side of this wall or this barrier which is intended to be a limitation whether it is good or bad. What that means is they better start working on a budget to have border guards placed at the wall with a gate every single day because over 1,000 people a day come to campus."

Zavaleta proposes that the levee be moved to the south side of the campus to provide more protection to downtown Brownsville, and provide dams to be able to control floods. "It seems to make a lot more sense to invest in infrastructure that protects the communites than building barriers," says Zavaleta.

UPDATE: Cornyn says he is not for the wall, using a lot of prepositions - almost a Green Eggs and Hammy kinda approach. Dr. Seuss would be proud! "No one is suggesting that we're willing to have a 2,000-mile wall placed on our southern border. For one thing, people can come over walls, they can come under walls and they can come through walls if they're not maintained, " said U.S. Sen. Cornyn in a statement according to KFOX.

This is in stark contrast to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who prefers to c0mpare immigration to The Cat in the Hat. From Wikipedia:

In the 110th Congres Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared the impasse over a bill to reform immigration with the mess created by the Cat in "The Cat in the Hat." He read lines of the book from the Senate floor, quoting "'That is good,' said the fish. 'He's gone away, yes. But your mother will come. She will find this big mess.'"[5] He then carried forward his analogy hoping the impasse would be straightened out for "If you go back and read Dr. Seuss, the cat manages to clean up the mess."[6] Reid's hopes did not come about for as one analyst put it "the Cat in the Hat did not have to contend with cloture."[5]

Cornyn Questions Gonzales' Credentials

Cornyn in an interview with The Austin American Statesman (8/20/07):

I look at the jobs he's held and I wonder what has prepared him for being the head of the Department of Justice and 110,000 employees in a highly partisan and difficult political environment.

When we were talking on the phone, I said, "Al, if you do nothing else, make sure that all of the information gets out there early and as complete a fashion as possible."

Gonzales not taking Cornyn's advice:



And from The New York Times Monday, Cornyn sticking with Gonzales until the end.

Senator John Cornyn, one of the attorney general's staunchest supporters, called today a "sad day." In a telephone interview with CNN a short while ago, the Texas Republican took issue with how Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, was "exalting" in Mr. Gonzales' resignation, calling it part of the "hyperpartisan" atmosphere in Washington today. Mr. Cornyn insisted there was no evidence of political machinations behind the firings of federal prosecutors, and said it was the "drip, drip, drip" of partisan politics that wore Mr.Gonzales down.

More from Kos.

"I Am Not Gay" Craig May Spell Fillibuster-Proof Senate after 2008

The wavering of the "I am not gay" Larry Craig Idaho seat adds to the 22 Republican seats that must be defend in the 2008 Election Cycle. Democrats now hold 51 seats, including Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and "Connecticut For Lieberman" Party Member Joe Lieberman. Of the 22 Republican seats to be upheld, six of them seem to be "in jeopardy," bringing the total possible Democratic seat count to 57 or 58 seats.

Booman:

So...how do we get 4-5 more senate seats?First...let me say that we are not there yet. We still need to do a little more recruitment.

Nebraska... Oklahoma...Kentucky...Idaho

I haven't even mentioned the most unpopular senator of all...John Cornyn of Texas. He is facing two formidable candidates in attorney Mikal Watts and State Senator Rick Noriega. This race is insurance on that 62 mark.

MSNBC:
The financial momentum also is with the Democrats.
As of the end of June, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which finds and funds Senate contenders had:
More than $31 million in receipts
More than $20 million in cash on hand

By contrast, the National Republican Senatorial Committee had only:
$15.8 million in receipts
$5.7 in cash on hand

Friends, 2008 is our year.

Republicans Cross Party Lines to Join Rick Noriega

Massachusetts Governor and Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney announced the formation of a Hispanic Steering Committee, according to Texas Politics. It included key Republican and Hispanic figures, six of them from Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio.

One of the members, former Republican National Hispanic Assembly Chairman Massey Villarreal "caused a stir" by announcing he will not support U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for re-election.

A native of Corpus Christi, Villarreal is one of the top Hispanic Republicans in the country. Bush referred to him as his "friend y Tejano" in a speech in March. Named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business Magazine in 2002, Villarreal served as national Hispanic vice-chairman of the Bush/Cheney for President Campaign. Villarreal served as chairman of the board of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly for four terms.

Villarreal told the Rio Grande Guardian that Cornyn's positions on immigration harmed the Hispanic community and that he would support Democrat Rick Noriega for Senate.

From The Rio Grande Guardian, Villarreal speaks about Republican talking points:

“We are law abiding, we love this country, but if some of the Republican bigots had their way, they would make sure my father went back. They have no compassion. My Dad would be headed back and that’s just wrong.”

“I would like to see Congressman Culberson take a job on a landscaping truck to see what immigrants do for our community,” Villarreal said, referring to U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston.

“There are those rightwing Republicans who don’t represent our interest, don’t represent our vision,” he said. “I’m sorry their constituents elect them because they don’t represent the interests of the whole community.”

“I have decided to support Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. I just don’t think John Cornyn hears my community,” Villarreal said.

So it appears that even with Cornyn's dismal approval ratings, he's even losing support from Republicans. See Texas Much More PURPLE Than Most People Expect...

Texas Much More PURPLE Than Most People Expect...

From a Texas Lyceum Poll conducted June 13, 2007, an "overwhelming majority" of Texans believe that the War in Iraq is the most important issue facing our country.

“Nationally, the Iraq War dominates all other issues; nothing else comes close. As for issues facing the state, Texans are most concerned about education and illegal immigration,” said Daron Shaw, a pollster and associate professor at the University of Texas who conducted the poll for the Texas Lyceum, a non-partisan non-profit statewide leadership group focused on public policy affecting Texas and the United States.

It also found that Texans favor funding of embryonic stem cell research, and believe that abortion should be allowed in some cases. We even prefer a nondenominational moment of silence as opposed to prayer in public schools.

“Skepticism about the progress of the U.S. venture in Iraq and the evidence of moderation on many key issues suggests that Texas is becoming a much more “purple” state that it has been in recent elections,” said Professor Jim Henson, Director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. "The poll’s results are clearly another shot across the bow of incumbents in all institutions at all levels,“ said Henson.

So as it turns out, we might be just a little more purple than we used to be, that we won't just follow along with what Bush says, and that we might be wising up on a few issues. Good job Texas!

A USA Today Article based on the same poll shows McCain essentially tied with Clinton with McCain at 36% and Clinton at 35%. Giuliani and Clinton also are essentially tied, at 32%-31%.

So Texas, the 2008 Swing State? We'll have to wait and see on that one.