The Dallas Morning News starts the year on a lame-o op-ed note

For its “Texan of the Year,” The Dallas Morning News named the city of Houston.

Yes, Houston did some very good things in helping Katrina victims, etc.

But, the following grafs make me think the choice was also designed to take a deliberate slab at Dallas:

Bigger than Katrina. Bigger than Texas. Houston continues to perform a national service by modeling the virtues of local initiative and challenging Washington's missteps – most recently FEMA's decision to end the housing voucher program several months early, on March 1. Mr. White has joined that battle with the same energy he has shown throughout the crisis.

One of the latest Houston initiatives is a program that reflects the city's entrepreneurial pedigree: The Greater Houston Partnership is offering help to hurricane survivors who want to rebuild their businesses in their new hometown.

With the new year comes Houston's Phase III. So few empty apartments exist in Houston that Mr. White recently was forced to declare the city full. Now, attention shifts to the lives under the roofs, to helping guests become integral members of the community. Whatever challenges arise, Mr. White, Judge Eckels and others insist that they will succeed.

Well, to the degree that Dallas is too dysfunctional to do that, the News has its share of blame to shoulder. Opposing the original strong-mayor proposition, then supporting the weaker one that would have only increased mayor-council deadlock over control of the city manager is 2005 Example Numero Uno of that. Let’s see if the Snooze can’t do better in 2006 after a stumbling start on the editorial page.