The Midday Brief: December 1, 2009

Your afternoon reading:

• “Texans have paid dearly for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The highest cost is tallied in casualties.” — Blood and Treasure — The Texas Observer

• “What I saw in Afghanistan concerns me. We have a lot of work to do. “ — Granger: What I Saw in Afghanistan — Texas Insider

• “‘The platform has changed dramatically. I think it's got a little liberal,’ said Potter.” — Multiple Officials Switch Affiliation To Republican — Tyler Morning Telegraph

• “As for Hutchison, only a handful of political action committee contributions since July have shown up so far in filings with the Texas Ethics Commission.” — Perry pulling in big bucks from Austin political interests — Trail Blazers

• “As of Monday, the only declared candidate was Huntsville businessman Ben Bius. Reached by phone on Monday, he said he doubted Ogden would enter the race.” — Ogden to share election plans — The Bryan-College Station Eagle

• It was not supposed to have an open sewer running through it, fouling the air each afternoon as the sun bears down on the brown earth and streets lined with abandoned homes. But it does. — After fanfare, broken promises — El Paso, Inc.

 New in The Texas Tribune:

• “Most agencies have released the records quickly, often by e-mail and without any hassle or excessive charges. But DART wanted to make things interesting.” — On the Records: Adventures in Public Information — The Texas Tribune

• “They certainly provide daily fodder for campaign news coverage, but there’s no guarantee that an endorsement will translate to anything positive for a candidate — let alone electoral victory.” — Much Ado About Endorsing — The Texas Tribune