Well, after three front-page stories in the past six weeks, the Houston Chronicle has spent a lead editorial on Steve Stockman, Republican from Texas’ 36^th district. I’m thrilled to have somebody shining some light on this cockroach, but I suspect that the Chronicle is doing it because they’re ashamed of only endorsing Democratic candidate Max Martin a week before the election, when half of the votes were already in.

Now they’re on Stockman like white on hockey. He “seems to spend most of his time and energy crafting absurd anti-Obama tweets and news releases.” –But that’s what passes for mainstream Republicanism these days in Texas; witness Rick Perry, Greg Abbott or most any member of the GOP Congressional delegation. Why do you think Glenn Beck and Ted Nugent moved here?

The rap on Stockman, other than that he’s a lunatic who thinks he can make hay by wrapping himself in a flag while clutching a gun in one hand and a Bible in the other, is that while he has called himself an accountant since even before he took a degree; he has been unable to prepare and produce satisfactory financial disclosure and campaign finance reports that we require of our congressvarmints.

The good news is that if, as Phil Gramm said, “ready money is the mother’s milk of politics,” Stockman’s cow has gone dry. Hopefully this bad publicity will make him toxic to even paleoconservative moneybags.