When the cowboys all sang and their horses were smart

I've known this was coming for a while now, but the thought of "Governor Kinky" still makes me giggle like the proverbial schoolgirl:

Kinky Friedman, the best-selling author, country singer and friend of the stray dog, next week will officially toss his ten-gallon hat into the ring for the 2006 Texas governor's race, his campaign said Tuesday.

Friedman will announce his bid to run as an independent on February 3 near the Alamo from a hotel where former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt founded the Rough Riders.

Everyone seems to be making a big deal about how he can't win in Republican Texas, since all the state wide offices are in GOP hands. These folks fail to take into account two things: 1) the majority of local offices in the state are still Democrat, and 2) the Democrats lost control of the state through incompetence as much as GOP ascendance. In all honesty, the Texas Democratic party has been in disarray since before Ann Richards pulled the biggest choke job in Texas political history against Dubya (note to politicians: I wasn't an awful governor these last four years is not a winning campaign platform).

Do I think the Kinkster can win? Sure. Do I think he will? Nope. But the Republicans are showing signs of the same arrogance and infighting that doomed the dominant Dems in the late 80s and early 90s. And Kinky would at least make the race interesting. Texas, for some strange reason, is cursed with relentlessly awful governors. Bush and Richards were spectacularly mediocre. Perry's own party despises him. Bill Clements was so crooked he helped SMU earn the Death Penalty from the NCAA. Mark White was so bad that Texans reluctantly brought Clements back. Dolph Briscoe had to call a press conference once to deny he'd gone insane. Let's face it: Since Sam Houston resigned at the onset of the Civil War, the Texas governor's mansion hasn't had much in the way or worthy tenants. Compared to that lot, Kinky would be a distinct improvement.

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