I have had vague suspicions that the rock star antics of many primary candidates may play differently in different areas, and this excellent article shows us that Iowa may be a state where Big Timing can backfire.

In the paper this morning, read all about it: proof that Senate Democrats are proactively engaging in message control, in a way that just might work.

State Representative Sylvester Turner has been making noise lately, and it isn't the kind of noise the House Leadership likes. This Chron article rightly describes Turner as one of "Tom Craddick's Lieutenants" but then illustrates the source of his current frustration. He feels as if he has been "suckered and hoodwinked." He is mad as hell, and apparently may not take it anymore.

Right here, today, I'm gonna make this claim: Obama is not ready for this. He will be President someday, but not before he's Vice President first. He's raised an incredible amount of money, but an aggregate of polls seems to indicate that a great deal of that was front-loaded. He is headed the wrong direction to win the nomination, and he is likely to weaken the once invincible Hillary Clinton on his way down. The result will be an open door in Iowa for John Edwards, who starts out with a huge organizational advantage, and then the wheels, as they say, will come off the wagon.

Dan Patrick kept true to his roots and his peeps by leaving the floor of the Senate when Imam Yusuf Kavakci gave Wednesday morning's invocation. The imam is the leader of the Islamic Association of North Texas, and was invited by Senator Florence Shapiro, a Republican senator from Plano who also happens to be Jewish. If anyone thinks it is kind of silly for a radio host to act that way in the face of interfaith cooperation, you're right.

This has been the week of finance reports from the first quarter so far, and there's been numbers to marvel at. However, I would like, for a minute, to talk about what it all means.

In biblical news, State Representative Warren Chisum has proposed legislation which would require classes based on the Bible to be offered as electives in Texas high schools.

For this morning's Roundup, a little bit of breaking news: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just announced Iran will release the 15 British troops it has held for two weeks. This is obviously good news, and the geopolitical implications are pretty big. The assumption here is that this is part of a strategy by Ahmadinejad rather than a reaction tactic, but I guess the next month or so will show if there's any truth to that theory.

I will openly admit it: I was wrong about McCain's money. I asserted here that he would break $20 million and he didn't even get to $13 million. That's my B. If you had something serious riding on it, you can send complaints directly to me, although I would be remiss if I didn't remind you that wagering on the fortunes of others is unwise and sinful.

Paul Burka spent most of yesterday doing what he's incredibly good at — covering politics. He wants you to know that he is not a wuss for going to bed. The budget battle went on and on 'til (almost) the break of dawn, and the big (totally not secret!) news is that Rick Noriega proposed an amendment swapping out teacher merit pay for an across-the-board pay raise.