Did Dallas Do It?

Why did Mikal Watts really bow out of the U.S. Senate primary race? He says it's to spend more time with his family, who were burdened by the stress of the campaign. Yeah, that's what they always say. Even when it's true (and really, it always is true -- because nothing disrupts a family more than a big race like this) it's still an excuse. They knew -- or could have easily found out -- that would happen before they got in.

So what's the underlying cause? Speculation abounds: he must have taken a poll showing he couldn't beat Noriega (or maybe even Cornyn) -- he just couldn't compete in endorsements in south Texas with a Hispanic candidate no matter how much money he poured in -- there's some hidden scandal that would have come out if he stayed in -- etc. etc. etc. Never mind these pedestrian or conspiracy possibilities. Perhaps it was really the Dallas County Democratic Party's annual Fish Fry last Friday.

What happened here? He got booed. He spoke to the crowd and at least one (possibly several) actually booed him. The one identified booer was upset over choice. Then other individuals spoke to him and made it clear his answers on that subject were not acceptable. A promise "not to make choice a litmus test" for judges is counterproductive, when we WANT our Senators to make it a litmus test -- just the other way from his views.

No doubt he's heard such things before, but was there booing before at a major party event? Maybe it was the adamant objections, including the rudely expressed ones, in Dallas that became the final straw. If so, this deserves a historical marker. The last thing the Senate Democrats need is another Joe "enabler of evil" Lieberman, this time specializing in undermining from within the party's stand on women's rights.