Politex

Camp out for Palin?

Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's book signings have generated so much attention that some fans even camped out overnight last night in Arkansas before a signing at a Sam's Club.

They even spent their waiting time reading her book.

In Arizona, the first person in line for a Palin book signing had been there for 27 hours, news reports show.

Palin heads to Plano Friday, for just one North Texas book signing at Legacy Books, at 7300 Dallas Parkway.

Officials at the bookstore, who sold out of the allocated 1,000 tickets for the books in two days, said they are expecting a crowd to be lined up tomorrow morning when the store's doors open at 9 a.m.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Secret Service scandal echoes Texas mishaps

The uproar over how two gatecrashers made it inside last week's White House State Dinner is bringing renewed attention to how the Secret Service handled security at an Obama rally last year in North Texas.

The Star-Telegram received hundreds of emails and phone calls last year after former S-T reporter Jack Douglas reported that members of the Secret Service abruptly stopped screening attendees at then-presidential candidate Barack Obama's campaign rally at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Days later, Secret Service let in attendees without screenings into a Hillary Clinton rally at the Fort Worth Stockyards once the former First Lady started speaking.

Ronald Kessler, Washington correspondent of NewsMax.com and writer of a new book on the Secret Service, has repeatedly cited the Dallas incident on TV in recent days (and in his book) as proof that the latest scandal is not a fluke.

-Aman Batheja

Friedman backs Obama health reform, says it may be "biggest debacle that ever happened"

Gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman is working to convince Texas Democrats that he's one of them despite his previous bid for the Governor's Mansion as an Independent.

On a recent appearance on the Fox Business Network, Friedman showed he'll back certain party line proposals even if he thinks they might be terrible.

In this clip posted on Nov. 19, Neil Cavuto asks Friedman whether he is for or against the Democratic plan to reform health care. Friedman appears torn. He says he is conflicted. Cavuto pushes him for an answer.

"Well as a Democrat I would have to be for it...with great misgivings," Friedman said.

Cavuto asks him about whether he supports taxing the rich to pay for the plan. Friedman says he is against that part of the plan.

Friedman then tells a story about Henry Kissinger and Mao Zedong that Cavuto says he doesn't understand.

Friedman tries to translate: "I mean it's too soon to tell if this bill is going to be the biggest debacle that ever happened or whether it's going to be..."

"You just said you're for it," Cavuto interrupts.

"I said 'As a Democrat,'" Friedman said. "I mean, I'm not voting. I'm running for governor of Texas."

The above exchange begins at the 3:10 mark.

-Aman Batheja

Honoring Fort Hood soldiers

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, will ask the U.S. House today to pass a resolution honoring Fort Hood soldiers and their families, after Thursday's deadly shooting.

"In the days ahead, Fort Hood will become known to the world as a place of unspeakable tragedy, but I know it as a place of great triumph -- a place where service to country isn't just an ideal, it is a way of life, a place where the American spirit is alive and well, even amidst this tragedy," he said.

Edwards, whose district includes Johnson and Hood counties, will present the resolution for U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, who is at Fort Hood today.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Bush jokes about being called "a terrible president"

Left out of our story today about former President George W. Bush's first motivational speech was a joke he made while talking about the importance of men being good fathers.

Bush told the crowd at the Fort Worth Convention Center yesterday that he would never have achieved what he did in life without "the unconditional love" of his father. A father's unconditional love can help a person feel comfortable taking risks, he said.

“Life is full of risks," Bush said. "It’s risky to run for president. You could lose and say, ‘Oh what a terrible candidate.’ Or you could win and say, ‘Oh what a terrible president.’"

-Aman Batheja

Bush defends his decisions in debut as motivational speaker

Former President George W. Bush told over 11,000 people at the Fort Worth Convention Center that he was confident he made the right decisions as president even if it hurt his popularity.

“Every single day I was honored to be your president by bringing honor and dignity to the office,” Bush said in his first foray into motivational speaking at the day-long Get Motivated seminar.

Bush spoke in a relaxed tone about a few lessons he'd learned in his life including sticking to your principles and living each day to its fullest.

“It’s so simple in life to chase popularity but popularity is fleeting," Bush said. "It’s not real."

The former president also emphasized the importance of generosity, noting how many people were surprised when he promised billions in aid to Africa to fight the AIDS epidemic.

“Apparently Republicans aren’t supposed to be compassionate so it was a shock," Bush said.

Bush also spoke about his faith, promising everyone in the audience that those people who prayed for him and his wife while they lived in the Oval Office made the first couple's lives better.

“From a personal perspective, I don’t see how you can be president without relying upon an almighty," Bush said.

Bush’s speech sounded briefly like a Republican Party stump speech when he spoke about his economic outlook.

"Another principle I believe in is that you can spend your money better than the government can,” Bush said to huge applause. He added later, “The marketplace works. It is fair. It is equitable. It is a fair form of democracy.”

At the end of his speech, Bush received a standing ovation.

-Aman Batheja

Motivational speakers wander into politics

The Fort Worth Convention Center is packed this morning for the Get Motivated seminars. A long list of all-star speakers are scheduled but what's bringing national attention to today's feel good fest is the debut of former President George W. Bush as a motivational speaker.  

Two hours in, we've heard four speakers, all of whom are giving personal anecdotes to deliver similar lessons: be a leader, stay positive, don't give up. 

A couple of speakers have veered briefly into politics.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told a funny story about having trouble getting through airport security. He then praised President Bush's policies related to terrorism and foreign policy.

"We are safer than we were before 9/11 because of President Bush,"  Powell said to applause.

John Walsh, of America's Most Wanted, spent most of his speech describing his journey from his son being murdered to helping catch criminals on his long-running TV show.

Near the end, Walsh praised Bush for creating the National Sex Offender Registry and then sharply criticized President Obama for not funding the Adam Walsh Act, named after his son. 

He also complained that federal leaders will let NASA spend millions to find "ice crystals on the moon" but won't put more into beefing up protections against sexual offenders. 

Mentioning the different companies the Obama adminsitration bailed out, Walsh said, "They’ve bailed out out all these creeps but they haven’t funded the Adam Walsh Act.”

Walsh urged the crowd to lobby their members of Congress.

"Send them that letter, 'I'll never vote for you again. I'll never send you five bucks unless you get the Adam Walsh Act funded," Walsh said.

-Aman Batheja

Senate endorsements

 Nine Tarrant County officials came out in support of local man, former Texas secretary of state Roger Williams, who is among those running for the U.S. Senate seat that may open up if Kay Bailey Hutchison does resign to pursue her bid for Texas governor.

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson, Tarrant County Tax Collector-Assessor Betsy Price, Tarrant County District Clerk Tom Wilder, Tarrant County Commissioners Gary Fickes  and JD Johnson, Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, Fort Worth Councilman Jungus Jordan and North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar Trevino all endorsed Williams, a Weatherford car dealer.

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Laura Bush accepts Cowgirl Museum award in Fort Worth

She isn’t really a cowgirl, former First Lady Laura Bush insisted on Friday as she accepted an award from the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.

Bush received the Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award from the museum for her work in the area of literacy. 

Though not a cowgirl, she mentioned another ‘title’ she received some years ago when she and President George W. Bush visited England to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife for the first time.

“The London Daily Mail ran a headline that said Our Modern Mum Meets Bush’s Little Woman,” Bush joked.

-Shirley Jinkins

Stimulus continues to stimulate debate in Texas

Texas has received more than $12 billion in federal stimulus money so far, more than most states, but the amount is still drawing some grumbling from around the state.

We reported today that nine states received more stimulus money dedicated to the arts than Texas. Eight of those states are smaller than Texas.

The disparity comes from the portion of the money that was awarded directly by the National Endowment for the Arts to arts organizations. Texas arts organizations competed against museums, symphonies and acting troupes from around the country and most of the Texas applicants apparently didn't measure up, according to the NEA.

Last week, the Dallas Morning News reported that Texas has received less stimulus funding per resident than nearly every other state.

State lawmakers balanced this year's budget with $12.1 billion in stimulus money, nearly 7 percent of the state budget. 

-Aman Batheja