TRAIL BLAZERS

For the next six or eight months, Dallas Rep. Jeb Hensarling will be part of President Barack Obama's deficit commission -- the 18-member, relatively toothless panel formally known as the Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

House Minority Leader John Boehner picked the Dallas Republican and two other GOP deficit hawks, Reps. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the top Republican on the House Budget Committee, and Michigan Rep. Dave Camp, the top Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Hensarling is a former chairman of the party's conservative bloc and is one of the party's leading voices on fiscal policy.

The panel is weighted with Democrats, and Congress scuttled an effort to ensure that its recommendations are ever put to a vote. So, it's probably little surprise that Hensarling says he takes the assignment with high hopes and low expectations.

But as our friends at the Houston Chronicle point out, maybe by the end of this, the president won't be calling him "Jim" -- as he did at the House GOP retreat several weeks ago.

Doctors, dentists and hospitals see little hope of escaping trims to their state payments for treating low-income Texans, starting Sept. 1.

But a center-left think tank warned today that the cuts to providers "would represent a tremendous step backward" in the state's recent push to lure more doctors to participate in Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities said state leaders, while wisely exempting Medicaid services and eligibility from cuts, should tread lightly in reducing reimbursements to health care providers. Harking back to the last recession, the center urged Texas' GOP leaders to again raise fees - as they did to bridge a budget gap in 2003, when they kept a Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund tax on phone bills and hiked other fees.

Early indications from health industry lobbyists, though, are that the provider cuts are all but a done deal. Lawmakers reportedly are more nervous about closing 200 beds at state mental hospitals, including Terrell State. Also, because the sum involved is relatively small, community health centers are rated as having good odds of ducking a cut.

Vince Leibowitz is the latest tribute to the ping-pong of politics. Farouk Shami's former campaign director has just taken over as spokesman for Hank Gilbert, the Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate.

Sound familiar? Leibowitz led Gilbert's run for the governor's race last year but jumped candidates soon after Gilbert switched to the agriculture commissioner's race.

Gilbert said he encouraged Leibowitz to join Shami's campaign because the staffer could make more money and participate in a flashier race.

It was indeed that. Leibowitz and two other top staffers resigned as the primary neared citing strategic differences between political advisers and other campaign staff. Their leaving capped a race that began with the firing of three Shami advisers, including opposition researcher Jason Stanford.

Leibowitz is the founder of Capitol Annex, a website dedicated to Texas politics. He said he's back because he believes Gilbert is a Democrat with an actual chance at winning.

"It's a difference race," Leibowitz said. "But it's not any less work. And it's just as exciting. It's Texas; politics are never boring."

Karl Rove worked first for George Bush 41, which is the reason he found his way to Texas. We've recounted some tall Texas tales that Rove tells in his new memoir. But before Rove became a Texan he worked briefly in Virginia for John Warner, former Navy secretary and husband of Elizabeth Taylor, in his Senate campaign. He recalls their first meeting 34 years ago -- the geeky, bespectacled, 20-something speechwriter and the glamorous movie star:

"I knocked -- and Elizabeth Taylor answered the door. Herself. Alone. In a revealing dressing gown and lingerie. I was agog. Her eyes really were violet. I suspect my jaw was slack and my eyes glazed. She graciously invited me in as Warner descended the stairs, attired again in his black tie, and offered a hearty greeting. She laughed at him and asked if he really intended to make his speech in black tie. He laughed too, and retreated upstairs to change into a suit.

"So Elizabeth Taylor and I went into the kitchen, where I had breakfast with one of history's most beautiful women sitting across the table from me in her nightie, making small talk about her husband's appearance later that morning. She was thinking about politics; I was not."

After getting ripped in an unusual press release from the Texas Education Agency, Fox News acknowledged Thursday that some of its reports on the current social studies curriculum debate in Texas needed clarification. While not apologizing for the reports, Steve Doocy of Fox said that it was "trying to make it simpler" for viewers to understand the process by reporting that the State Board of Education was reviewing new textbooks. In fact, as the TEA noted in its new release, the board won't consider history and other social studies textbooks until 2011. Board members now are voting on the curriculum standards that will be reflected in those books.

Fox also was taken to task for comments in their broadcast that U.S. history in Texas will be taught only from 1877 on. The TEA noted that eighth graders study early U.S. history up to Reconstruction, while high school students pick up the remainder of U.S. history from 1877 to the present. Doocy said such an approach to U.S. history - only 1877 onward - was adopted in North Carolina and Fox News thought a similar recommendation was pending in Texas. "We thought we were clear that they were simply suggestions, so we want to make sure you understand, they were just suggestions, and that is our clarification," Doocy said on the Fox Network's morning news program.

Doocy did not address other complaints raised by the TEA, that Fox incorrectly reported that George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Christmas, Independence Day and Veterans Day had been deleted from the U.S. history "textbooks." TEA officials pointed out that both presidents and the three holidays are in fact now required under the standards for U.S. history. They also criticized Fox for repeatedly broadcasting "highly inaccurate" information. Fox has been giving extensive coverage to the adoption of the social studies standards, with two news trucks and news crews in Austin for the State Board of Education meetings.

Rick Perry's campaign is gleefully passing around remarks about the projected shortfall in Houston. Mayor Annise Parker, who recently replaced Bill White, said the city budget woes mean cutbacks and possible furloughs.

"For years now, we have spent more money than we have taken in. You can't spend more than you earn. It is a very unbusinesslike approach to running things," Parker said in explaining the city's $110 million shortfall. The Perry folks sent out an email blast to make sure it was well seen.

But the truth is that the state under Perry faces the exact same problem -- an $11 billion budget hole. But this huge problem was seen years ago when the state cut school property taxes (under court order) and then raised business taxes to make up the difference. Problem is, it didn't. Lawmakers and the governor knew at the time that the new business tax wouldn't raise the same money as the lost property tax revenue. They also knew that Legislatures long into the future would have to deal with an ever-widening budget hole caused by the tax swap. Yup, I see some roosting chickens.

Dallas Rep. Jeb Hensarling and others have proposed that the House GOP adopt an immediate, unilateral moratorium on earmarks. House Republicans will meet this morning to discuss the idea, and -- after House Democrats banned earmarks for private industry yesterday -- the idea picked up steam. In fact, it looks like the fix is in.

Minority Leader John Boehner. Boehner and the rest of the House GOP leadership, including Texans Pete Sessions of Dallas and John Carter of Round Rock, issued a statement supporting the across-the-board moratorium Wednesday evening, upping the ante on Democrats.

"For millions of Americans, the earmark process in Congress has become a symbol of a broken Washington. We believe the time has come for House Republicans to adopt an immediate, unilateral moratorium on all earmarks, including tax and tariff-related earmarks.... When Republicans take back the House, we will rein in out-of-control federal spending and bring fundamental change to the process by which Congress spends American taxpayers' money."

The GOP approach would shut out universities and other nonprofits. The New York Times today called it a race for the ethical high ground and an effort at "political one-upmanship." The other day, DMN columnist Jim Landers explored the earmark conundrum in the context of Texas Tech lobbying.

Neither party is a stranger to earmarks -- spending decisions that lawmakers insert in legislation without having them vetted, debated and prioritized against all the other spending decisions the federal government makes. Earmarks represent a relatively small fraction of the budget, and even going cold turkey wouldn't have much immediate impact on the federal deficit and debt. But it's a potent talking point -- potentially good fodder for a 2010 version of the Contract With America, if Republicans take that tack. But the temptations have been and will be hard to resist.

Gov. Rick Perry just appointed John Moore as the new TYC ombudsman, a position that he left unfilled for four months.

Moore, of Denison, has a law enforcement and military background. He retired after 25 years as a U.S. marshal and also had worked as a state trooper and with the Amarillo police department.

He replaces Catherine Evans, who resigned in November 2009 after being accused of trying to carry weapons and other contraband into a TYC facility.

The ombudsman is charged as a watchdog over TYC following the 2007 sexual assault and abuse scandal that shook the agency, which was placed under a conservatorship until safeguards could be established.

Larry Duncan and Clay Jenkins, candidates for Dallas County Judge, have one thing in common. They both claim to be endorsed by Dallas Mayor Pro tem Dwaine Caraway.

But Caraway said Tuesday that he's not backing anyone in the April 13, Democratic runoff for county judge. He made a similar claim just days before the March 2 general election.

The winner of the Jenkins/Duncan runoff will face Republican Wade Emmert in November.

"I'm in the same position I was in last time," Caraway said. "I know they both say that I've endorsed them. That must say something about my popularity...God bless everybody."

Duncan, the Dallas County Schools Board President and former council member, helped Caraway in his bid for City Council.

Jenkins, a Dallas lawyer, has listed Caraway as a supporter for months.

Caraway was one of the few Dallas politicos backing Houston businessman Farouk Shami for governor. He said he expects to support former Houston Mayor Bill White for the general election.

I just bumped into Texas' senior senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, in the basement of the Capitol. For the record, Texas' Leading Newspaper has requested interviews, through aides, several times since her loss in the gubernatorial primary, to no avail. We tried unsuccessfully to find her at the Senate last week and yesterday. The big open question is whether she'll serve out her term or resign early and, if the latter, when. Politico managed to find her near the Senate subway yesterday, for all the good it did them: "I have nothing to say, and I won't for a while," she said.

The Friday before the March 2 primary, Hutchison told WBAP's Mark Davis that she'll stay through November to fight the Democrats' health care bill. But aides said that isn't set in stone. She has said unequivocally that she won't run for reelection. Her current term runs through the end of 2012.

I asked if she would talk with me. She said no. I asked if we could set something up soon. She said no. Frozen out. Well, that can't last forever -- maybe just for another 8 to 34 months.

The new Capitol Visitors Center is awash in heroines this morning, as Congress honors the surviving women aviators whose efforts were so crucial in World War II. The DMN's Sherry Jacobson wrote about the WASPs today. The Women Airforce Service Pilots was a corps of 1,000 or so who flew every type of military aircraft, including B-29s, in every situation except direct aerial combat, some 60 million miles.

In Emancipation Hall, the WASPs in the seats of honor were a sea of cotton-white heads, basking in the gratitude of luminaries, surrounded by a large portion of Congress, plus thousands of family and guests. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and "Greatest Generation" author Tom Brokaw were on hand, among others.

These women weren't formally part of the military back then. They paid for their own training, travel and, when necessary, burials during and after the war. They weren't awarded veterans benefits until 1977.

Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who co-authored the legislation awarding these women the Congressional Gold Medal, with Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, told them the ceremony was part of an ongoing effort to right the nation's wrongs and acknowledge debts. The Tuskeegee Airmen and Navajo Codetalkers got their recognition in recent years, she noted, and now the WASPs.

"They blazed a trail in the sky" that opened doors for today's female military pilots, she said. "We are closing a circle today of unrecognized achievement."

Hutchison noted the "incredible enthusiasm" among lawmakers in both parties to add the WASPs to the nation's honor roll. "On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your service," she said.

That famous line (amended here) from Animal House is one way of looking at Karl Rove's clash with former White House spokesman Scott McClellan over the disclosure of the identity of a CIA operative. Rove assured McClellan that he had nothing to do with the outing of Valerie Plame. McClellan went out into White House briefing room and assured the country that Rove wasn't involved. In fact, Rove was involved. He was the second source for columnist Bob Novak and told a Time magazine reporter that "Joe Wilson's wife" at the CIA was working on weapons mass destruction. McClellan was damaged, Rove stayed above the fray -- and in interviews promoting his new book, he continues to defend himself. In effect, Rove's saying McClellan screwed up, not him. Herewith, our take on Karl as Otter:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Purple Heart recipient and Democratic state Rep. Allen Vaught of Dallas is up on the big screen in the movie Green Zone in theaters on Friday.

An Iraqi war veteran, Vaught was interviewed by The Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran in 2003 about operations in Fallujah. Chandrasekaran went on to write the book upon which the movie is based. He got back in touch with Vaught in 2007 and asked for help with technical points about uniforms and historical aspects of the war.

Vaught and numerous other Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were subsequently invited to take roles in the movie. Vaught plays a staff officer in a briefing scene.

"It was a great honor to have a small part in the Green Zone," Vaught said.

He said his character is fictional and not based on anything he did during the war or who he was as a solider, but the director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93 and The Bourne Supremacy) did allow him to name his character after his son, Jonathan.

"That was very special to me and something that I hope Jonathan will appreciate when he is a few years older. Our daughter Morgan was born after filming, so we might have a problem there unless there is a sequel," he said.

Vaught served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve's Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command. He saw combat operations in Fallujah and Sadr City in 2003 and 2004. Vaught was the de facto mayor of Fallujah during the early months of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was eventually injured in a roadside bomb in Sadr City and discharged from the Army. His commendations include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge and Valorous Unit Award.

As he launches his book-promotion tour, Karl Rove has sought to deflect and deny responsibility for a host of problems that bedeviled the Bush years. A lot of it is complicated -- weapons of mass destruction, the CIA leak scandal -- and Rove is adept at navigating thickets of information to invoke plausible deniability. But sometimes, a single question can reveal a lot. Such was the case today on NBC's Today show where Matt Lauer quizzed Rove on why the White House was so slow to respond to Katrina.

MR. LAUER: You also write in the book, "We did not have the ability to get real-time information, so did not realize the initial reports we were getting were wrong."
This is the president of the United States.

MR. LAUER: Did anyone at the White House turn on the TV?

Hard to dodge that one. For his part, Rove blamed the media and local officials.

Lobbyist David Sibley, the former state senator who Kip Averitt replaced, isn't exactly beating back speculation that he might be interested in the spot. Averitt said, as explained in an earlier post, that he will resign his seat because of health reasons. Sibley, a lawyer and an oral surgeon, is also a former mayor of Waco.

Here's Sibley's statement:

"Kip Averitt has been an outstanding State Senator and he remains a friend. I understand his health concerns and support him in making the changes he needs over the coming months and years."

"Many in the District have asked about my interest in the position and I am honored they would consider me. In my discussions with supporters and Republican county chairs I have heard a lot about the need for conservative, effective, common-sense government and look forward to continuing these conversations in the coming days."

Bill White knows what's coming from the Rick Perry campaign and thinks his down-to-earth, earnest (albeit a little dull) straight-talk is waht voters want to hear.

In his first extensive interview with The News since the primary, White said Perry will try and hang labels on him, the biggest one being liberal, but he sees himself as a fiscal conservative, businessman who has won elections by huge,bipartisan margins in a large and diverse city by being Mr. Fix-It.

"People want somebody who will shoot straight. Not just somebody who is the voice of one wing of one party, or who is using the governor's office to run for some other office," White said.

His talk was mostly about how he saw the upcoming campaign shaking out and where he will concentrate his message.

Much of it will be about public education -- improving the state's 30 percent attrition rate of high schoolers who don't graduate -- and access to higher education. He said without having people prepared for good jobs, the state will decline and be left behind by a global economy.

And he expects to be peppered with "a long list of adjectives, but this isn't a school yard brawl." He said he wants to talk problems, answers and visions.

"People throughout this state want their elected officials to offer solutions and not just sound bites. People are tired of politicians who talk past each other in order to score a point rather than those who are trying to find a solution and a result," he said.

Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, said he will officially resign on March 17, allowing Gov. Rick Perry to call a special election to fill his seat on May 8.

Averitt, whose district extends north to Ellis and Johnson counties, announced last month that health concerns will sideline his political career. He told voters that he was withdrawing from the race, which is in a strong Republican district where no Democrat had filed to run against Averitt in November. He was expected to win an easy re-election, and even after his withdrawl, he did just that with 60 percent of the primary vote over Darren Yancy, a Tea Party leaning challenger from Burleson.

Averitt's victory and timeline to resign will open the door to other Republican candidates - presumably stronger than Yancy - and, yes, even some Democrats.

The Texas budget shortfall for next session -- whether it's $11 billion or $15 billion -- just got bigger.

Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs just told House budget writers that the recession has overwhelmed predictions for how many Texans would sign up for Medicaid, the nation's main health care program for the poor.

It's well known that last year, lawmakers low-balled caseload growth and health care inflation in Medicaid. Suehs said he got money to cover a 3.4 percent growth in the rolls in the current fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Instead, enrollment will increase by 11 percent, he said. Many more poor Texans who didn't turn to Medicaid in the past, even though they were eligible, are now enrolling, he said.

"Based on caseloads, we're showing a $1.5 billion [state revenue] shortfall," Suehs said, actually understating it by some $65 million. Of that, almost $1.3 billion was Medicaid-related shortfalls.

The good news? Without federal stimulus money, which boosted the feds' Medicaid matching rate through this calendar year, Suehs' shortfall would be nearly twice as big.

Retiring six term Rep. Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, says the budget shortfall isn't as large, on a percentage basis, as the one that lawmakers bridged seven years ago, during the last recession.

Isett said that, considered as a share of Texas' current $182 billion, two year budget, the anticipated shortfall next session isn't as huge as the gap faced in the 2003 session. Back then, he noted, the deficit was $9.9 billion, but in a two year budget of about $105 billion. (It was actually about $114 bil, but his point stands.) And lawmakers next year will have much, much more -- some $8 billion -- set aside in the state's rainy day fund, Isett said.

"While there will be those who are doom and gloom, we really are not in as bad a shape," he said.

Though he's a conservative, Isett made a plea for lawmakers to consider tightening the state's constitutional spending cap, so they can be more compassionate in crunch times. He said a tighter cap would leave the state with a bigger surplus, which it then could use during economic downturns to help Texas families. That's better than having a bare fiscal cupboard during recessions, and having to cut their services, as happened in 2003, he said.

"It's very difficult to take kids off programs," Isett said.

The state's chief revenue estimator says the jobs picture in Texas has brightened a bit, though he's taking a Missouri approach -- show me -- on whether there soon will be a burst of shopping activity by Texans.

"It looks like we have turned the corner on our employment picture," John Heleman of Comptroller Susan Combs' office told the House's budget panel this morning. He noted Texas added slightly more than 30,000 jobs in January, some two-thirds of them with temporary help agencies.

But Heleman says the state economy is at a "turning point" between recession and recovery, which makes it very tricky to predict what will happen with the state's revenue workhorse, the sales tax. After several months of double-digit declines in sales tax receipts, they declined in February by only 8.8 percent from February 2009, he said, citing preliminary figures. That's good but not a trend to count on, Heleman said.