Good-bye, Kay Bailey Cheerleader

And, hello, David Dewhurst?

Now that Kay Bailey Hutchison has made her expected retirement as Texas' senior U.S. Senator official (her letter is here), who's her successor?

Business Week has some quotes from around the state.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has salivated over the position, of course.
Dewhurst issued a written statement that said: "While my focus remains on the challenges we face here at the state level and making this upcoming session successful, I fully intend to explore running for the United States Senate, and should I run, I will run with the intention of winning and continuing to serve the people of Texas just as I have done throughout my career."
Will he get serious opposition in the GOP primary? Greg Abbott seems likely; who else? And, Railroad Commissioner and former RC chairman Michael Williams — does somebody at his pay grade challenge Dewhurst, or seek to fill Dewhurst's current job? Well, fellow Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones thinks that's not too much a leap, even without the double schtick of Williams' bow tie and being a black Republican. And, while Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert has supposedly expressed strong interest in a Senate run, he'd be much smarter to target something like Dewhurst's job. Speaking of Williamses, former Texas Secretary of State Roger W. is also interested. So, too, reportedly, is state Sen. Florence Shapiro.

Given Texas' growing Hispanic population and the relative closeness a B-team canadidate ran against Big John Cornyn in 2008, surely some Democrat has to be eyeing the seat. But whom? Houston Mayor Annise Parker? Her predecessor, Bill White, might have been a guess, but he has officially pulled himself out. Defeated Congressman Ciro Rodriguez? Perennial candidate (he's getting there!) John Sharp also gets mention. Chet Edwards? He might be electable.

DNC Wednesday night takes — good, bad and ugly

I didn’t see or hear Kerry’s speech, but I’ll give you this on the others:

Chet Edwards: That’s why he didn’t get the Veep nod. Dry speech, not rousing, not the best stump style. (Ugly)

Bill Clinton: The Big Dog did everything Obama could have wanted and more, in his own style. (Good)

Joe Biden: Little new from his Saturday speech in Springfield, Ill, except the line about women’s pay — unless he said that then and I missed it on the radio.

Unfortunately, Biden then went war hawk at the end with his anti-Russian, pro-Georgian comments. Idiots like him (and Obama, if he goes down that road) are as likely to get our ass in a foreign policy sling or a low-grade tussle as McCain is, with all three of them (and presumably Schmuck Talk Express™ Veep too) and their lying takes on Georgia-Russia. (Bad)

This duopoly internationalism is another reason I’m voting Green again.

NO, NO on Chet Edwards as Veep

This would be, what, reason No. 232 to not vote for Obama. I don’t give a damn if The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Landauer (not the sharpest knife in their editorial drawer, IMO) is flogging him along with 5,000 other people.

First, he voted to invade Iraq.

Second, he was one of the Democratic 45 percenters who voted to amend FISA.

Third, he’s piss-poor on gay rights.

In other words, he’s right with Obama on No. 2, probably somewhere in Obama's neighborhood on No. 3, and had Obama actually been in the Senate in 2002, might have been in Obama's neighborhood on No. 1.

Just when you think the Dallas Morning News can’t get stupider …

On its editorial page, it does.

Chet Edwards as Veep?

Obama has no chance of winning Texas, so scratch that idea. He has a chance of winning Virginia, among Southern states; Edwards helps him not a lick there.

(Obama will NOT have a chance of winning Georgia, Democrats, because Cynthia McKinney’s Green pull will negate Bob Barr’s Libertarian pull.)

So, the only way Obama should look for a southern Democrat as Veep is if he or she comes from Virginia or, of course, from Florida.

And, if that’s not stupid enough, the idea that Chet Edwards is a “progressive” is laughable.

Hey, Keven Ann Willey, I can write better editorials. I DO write better editorials, and columns.

Fire whoever wrote that turkey and hire me instead.

Chet Edwards opposes real action on renewable energy

Texas Democrat Edwards was one of just 9 Democrats to vote no on the House renewable energy bill, H.R. 3221. Before the vote, Edwards said he specifically opposed the requirement that electric utilities get at least 15 percent of their power from renewables by 2020 because it was too tough.