This week's Mailbag adds to the veterans' issues love, touches on our plans for the future, and throws a couple of yuks in there as well.

Hey, did you know that sometimes there's something wrong with The Politico?

There's been no shortage of discussion over Texas Monthly's Best and Worst Legislators list. Lo, there was much rejoicing in the streets (for example) over Democratic State Senator Kirk Watson's selection as Rookie of the Year, and rightly so.

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with J. Larry Davis, the Anderson County Democratic Chair in Palestine. Anderson County is located in Senate District 3, represented by Republican Senator Robert Nichols.

Watch out, everyone! Republicans have discovered the Internet!

Word on the street is that there's a head-and-shoulders frontrunner in the speculation over who will be the new Texas Secretary of State: Phil Wilson, Perry's deputy chief of staff. The lowdown is that Perry may appoint him as early as today, though his office wouldn't confirm that.

John Edwards was in Austin yesterday, and available accounts show that the event at Scholz Garten went well.

Richard Branson is powering trains in England on biodiesel. Daryl Hannah drives a souped-up biodiesel El Camino muscle car. However, absent a high level of eccentricity and money, most drivers are not using biodiesel to get to work.

The Dallas Mayoral race is very close, according to the Dallas Morning News. Apparently, Tom Leppert is ahead of Democrat Ed Oakley 47%-45%, and the election may depend — believe it or not — on turnout.

Yesterday Senate Republicans prevented the no-confidence vote on Alberto Gonzales from happening. It seems like that would be something resembling a victory for President Bush, but the media doesn't think so.