Off to Austin

for the state convention today. Will keep things up to date here, and also here.

If you're in town you should join us at the Bloggers' Caucus.

Let's expect an announcement today about who will be keynoting the convention. I'm counting on both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to do so, and anything less will be somewhat disappointing.

There's a race for state party chair that's worth following also. And you can follow the candidates for other state party offices, SDEC and DNC who are all about changing the ways things are done here.

Fist bump

Three speeches: good, bad, and ugly

The Ugly

McCain was pathetic, reading stiltingly from one teleprompter screen to the other, standing before a green wall and to a listless, all-white audience. He repeated parts of it, obviously getting lost despite the teleprompter. He thought he had a clever idea with his "that's not change we can believe in" catchphrase, but his forced uncomfortable smile after he recites it is just creepy. I may begin to feel sorry for him early -- if it weren't for the dark and dangerous forces playing tug-of-war with his candidacy.

The Bad

Clinton's speech would have been a good one were not for the circumstances. Being introduced as the next President of the United States, while commonplace in a contested race, is quite awkward moments after one's opponent has clinched the nomination. Clinton focused on herself and her accomplishments, not in celebration or congratulations to her supporters, but as justification for continuing the fight.

The Good

The energy from the crowd fueled it, and the candidate showed he understood the historical context of the moment. But Obama did not focus on that; instead he spoke graciously and effusively of his competitors, praising Mrs. Clinton extensively and jabbing a little at his fall opponent. Most importantly he offered a rallying cry, not just to his supporters but to America as a whole.

On to the nominating conventions and the fall campaign. At last.

Michael Skelly, Kathleen Sebelius, and Wesley Clark

Potentially the next Vice-President of the United States appeared in Houston this week with the next US Congressman from my home district ...

U.S. Rep. John Culberson's Democratic challenger harvested some political power at the international wind power convention here Monday.

Michael Skelly, a wind power executive, is co-chairing the American Wind Energy Association convention, and some attendees also contributed to his campaign at a Monday fundraising event.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate, were the magnets at the campaign function. They are also featured speakers at the alternative energy convention.

It's pretty much over for Cumbersome at this point. He simply cannot compete with Skelly for media attention, money, or even influence. An incumbent Republican Congressman, tied still to Tom DeLay and the failures of the Bush administration, who cannot raise money and can't get any free media without ridicule.

It's almost sad to see. But not quite.

(Hat tip to Kuffner for much more detail than I can get to.)

Box Turtle boxed in

I can think of a solution for Sen. Corndog's problemo here:

Cornyn is now fifth in the Senate Republican leadership, right behind his fellow Texan, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and the article says it has been assumed he would try to follow her into the No. 4 job once she starts running for governor, which she is expected to do sometime next year.

As Cornyn demonstrated late last year when another leadership job came open, Cornyn is not looking to challenge Hutchison or try to move ahead of her.

Here’s an interesting quote in the story from an anonymous Republican: “John is very interested in advancing in leadership, and he feels trapped by (Hutchison) right now. He can’t leapfrog over her. As long as she’s there, it’s an uncomfortable position for him.”

Everybody: take off your hat and say "Aww."

Let's remind Roll Call that Box Turtle John has a strong opponent. Let's fill Col. Noriega's boots while he's away serving his country for the next two weeks.

The Pre-Convention Wrangle

Time for this week's edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog round-up -- the pre-Texas Democratic Party state convention edition. And don't forget about the Third Biennial Texas Blogger's Caucus set for this Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the Cedar Door in Austin. Joe Jaworski, Sherrie Matula, Melissa Noriega, and more will be joining us!

WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on A Texas Myth: The Citizen Legislator.

BossKitty at BlueBloggin points out that Bush has been successful in preventing accountability and that he is at the center of an intelligence leak in The Leaky Bush: Probable Cause For Treason.

Captain Kroc declares that McBlogger now has a patron saint. That means we're protected so don't mess with us or we'll have our BFF, God, gut-punch you.

PDiddie at Brains and Eggs had some questions for Boyd Richie.

Vince from Capitol Annex reviews the Texas Legislative Study Group's excellent recommendations concerning what the Texas Legislature needs to do to improve higher education.

North Texas Liberal thanks Michelle Malkin for letting us know why we should boycott Rachael Ray, the terrorist scarf-wearing daytime chef.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme crowns Victoria DA Steve Tyler the new Hissy Fit after the grand jury indicts the Victoria police chief and former city attorney. Both may have used the Victoria Advocate to prod the child rape investigation of Tyler's chief of staff.

WhosPlayin? takes a humorous look at how Rep Michael Burgess (R, TX-26) missed the mark again with recent comments, showing how out of touch he is with his middle-class constituents.

The burning question at Doing My Part For The Left is: will Republicans return Rev, Hagee's hate money.

Off the Kuff completes his early tour of the Harris County races with a peek at the race for Harris County Department of Education Trustee, which in a normal year would be a pretty low-profile affair. Of course, as we know, this is anything but a normal year.

The Texas Cloverleaf tells us how Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples wants to support the communist Cuban regime.

Texas Kaos gets into the nuts and bolts of coming events. If you're headed to Austin for the Texas Democratic State Convention this week, check out this Netroots Nation convention in Austin we're preparing for a great service event, Netroots for the Troops preparing care packages for those who are putting themselves into harm's way.

Sunday Funnies

Scotty come lately

I watched the Olbermann hour-long interview and read the "puzzled" reactions from his former bosses and co-workers, but I ain't buyin' Scott McLellan's conversion (nor his book, for that matter).

His public quasi-confession is as much about trying to avoid prosecution as it is about selling books. Recall, from the historical record, what McClellan said when the first Boosh whistleblower, Richard Clarke, outed the adminstration's prevaricators:

McClellan pointed to the timing of Clarke's book.

"If Dick Clarke had such grave concerns, why wait so long? Why wait until the election?" Instead, McClellan said, Clarke "conveniently" released a book in the middle of the campaign season.

This must have been long before his pangs of conscience got the best -- or worst -- of him.

And when Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said basically the same thing in January of 2004 that Scotty is saying now, except a with a tad more bluntness ...

Former US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill has provided the grist for an unflattering tell-all book about the Bush White House called "The Price of Loyalty". ... Mr O'Neill said President Bush was disengaged, "a blind man in a room full of deaf people," and said the administration was hatching plans to invade Iraq from the day Mr Bush entered office.

... McClellan responded with equal force:

"We appreciate his service, but we are not in the business of doing book reviews," he told reporters. "It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinion than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people. The president will continue to be forward-looking, focusing on building upon the results we are achieving to strengthen the economy and making the world a safer and better place."

Come to think of it, maybe O'Neill was ahead of Clarke. Anyway, somewhere along the road to Damascus Scotty learned the truth and decided to come clean err, write a book.

Good on him, I suppose. Note that Scotty is directly descended from an opportunistic stripe-changing zebra and a grand conspiracy collaborator/author.

So this appears to be nothing more than the next edition of "All in the McClellan Family" to me.

I'll pass on both the applause and the account of his coming to Jesus.

Harvey Korman 1927 - 2008

The late Harvey Korman, second from right, in a 1968 skit on "The Carol Burnett Show," in which some shapely legs -- and then their owners -- are revealed to the audience. From left, Betty Grable, Martha Raye, Jackie Gregory, Lyle Waggoner, Korman and Burnett.

"Give me something bizarre to play, or put me in a dress and I'm fine," Korman jokingly said in a 2005 Chicago Sun-Times interview.

My family to this day will recite lines from "Eunice and Ed" when we get together.

Korman and Conway developed an uncanny rapport that made them arguably one of television's most lethal comic teams; Conway's on-camera ad-libs often made Korman crack up; producers wisely kept them in the show.

For about eight years, until late last December, the pair toured the country in a stage show that, more than anything, was a homage to their years with Burnett. They performed about 120 shows a year.

"I don't know whether either one of us was the straight man," Conway said. "The most important thing in comedy when you're working together is for one guy to know when to shut up. And we both knew when to shut up; quiet show, actually."

One of their favorite routines from the Burnett show was the dentist sketch, "where I kind of anesthetize my entire body with Novocain" while trying to fill Korman's teeth, Conway told The Times on Thursday.

"They play it at all the dental schools, as kind of an introduction on how not to do it," Conway said.

Korman suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm in January, the same malady that claimed my uncle Toots in his early sixties, several years ago. Most people cannot survive it but Korman battled for four months before passing on Thursday.

I think my favorite memory of Korman is from Blazing Saddles, when his character Hedley Lamarr was constantly irritated at having to correct the pronunciation of his name.

"Head - leh"

It's been a difficult week for Hollywood legends, and those of us who are their fans.

Obama bomaye

1. McCain actually makes a rather handsome African-American man, even if he does have teeth protruding from his neck.

2. Then again, so do other reptilians.

Some questions for Boyd Richie

Could someone read these to him and send me his answers?

-- Why is it your only goal to help elect a half-dozen or so Texas House members in 2008, the same as 2006? I think I see you working here: you want a bare majority in the House by 2010 in order to control redistricting in January of 2011, but what makes you think -- even if we get there -- the fifteen Craddickrats will flip on Speaker Tom? Loyalty?

(Have you not been paying attention to Aaron Pena?)

More importantly, why is this your only goal? It's a laudable goal, but since we haven't elected a statewide Democrat in over a dozen years, couldn't you try a little harder this year for Rick Noriega than you did for Chris Bell and all the others in 2006?

-- When the Obama campaign offered to fly you (and other undeclared state party chairs) to Chicago a couple of weeks ago to discuss allocating financial resources for the fall campaign, why did you blow them off? You not only didn't go but refused to send anyone in your place. Don't you realize you sent the message that Texas is not in play this November?

Why did you do that?

Don't you think Noriega, and the Democrats we're trying to get elected in Harris County and all across the rest of the state, could have used that help?

-- Why did someone named Rudy Shank, representing himself as being with the Obama campaign in Chicago but acting on behalf of Texans for Obama head Ron Kirk, call one of your rivals for state party chair and tell her to withdraw her candidacy, or else she would lose her superdelegate status to the Denver convention?

Isn't the Obama campaign telling Texans that the campaign is neutral in the state party chair contest?

And why is the guy you picked to be the convention chair, Senator Kirk Watson, endorsing you for state party chair? Really, isn't that just a little bit sleazy?

Isn't this the sort of low-grade corruption we criticize the Republicans about?

-- When are you going to declare your presidential preference? Will it be on June 3rd, when the last primary voting has completed and the fate of the nomination lies solely with you and the other undeclared superdelegates? Or will you keep straddling the fence until after you have safely been re-elected chairman of the party?

Or will you declare moments after the matter has been settled by others?

Are you telling the Obama people you're with them? or the Clinton folks that you're with her?

Come now: who do you choose, Clinton or Obama? How hard can it be at this point to pick one?

Ah, thanks for clearing this one up.

Bloggers' Caucus set for June 5

Every two years at the Texas Democratic Party's state convention the Texas Progressive Alliance hosts the best party of the biennium. This time around we'll be at the Cedar Door. Here's your invitation:

The Texas Progressive Alliance
Proudly Presents
The Third Biennial Blogger’s Caucus
Thursday, June 5, 2008
8:30 p.m. - Midnight
The Cedar Door
2nd and Brazos
Austin, Texas

Come and have a drink with the best and brightest from the Texas Blogosphere.

Me, too.

Update: And you can meet really important people, such as SD-11 Texas Senate candidate Mighty Joe Jaworski. Many more to be announced in the coming days.