The Brief: Nov. 5, 2010

THE BIG CONVERSATION:

The Perry-for-president talk is nothing new, but you might not have known it this week.

Speculation about the governor's presidential ambitions, which has long served as fodder for observers in Texas, has officially gone mainstream.

And perhaps not without good reason: The governor began a much-publicized national tour on Thursday to promote his new book, Fed Up!, an articulation of the anti-Washington sentiment that fueled his cruise to victory Tuesday over Democrat Bill White. And his tour — for which he's already made the rounds on Fox News and Glenn Beck's radio show and is set to appear on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning — will conclude with an appearance on The Daily Show on Monday.

The governor's still denying all the talk, of course. Citing his own fortitude, he told the Today show's Meredith Vieira that he had no interest in the GOP nomination. “If there is a better signal of my plans for the future of not running for the presidency of the United States, it’s this book," he said. "Anyone running for the presidency is not going to go take on these issues with the power that I do."

But that hasn't quieted speculation, especially in light of his recent refusal to commit to serving his full term as governor.

And if not president, VP? That's what the Fort Worth Star Telegram's Bud Kennedy sees. The governor would shore up southern support for someone like Mitt Romney and might be able to do so better than a candidate like Mike Huckabee, Kennedy says.

One step at a time, though. For now, set your DVRs for Monday night accordingly.

CULLED:

• More than 40 conservative groups fired off a volley Thursday — in the direction of Speaker Joe Straus — in the looming race for the top leadership position in the Texas House.

• U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, he of BP apology fame, is looking to freshman Republicans to help him retain a top post on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

• Nueces County officials found a bag of seven uncounted ballots, all cast for Democratic U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, on Thursday. Ortiz, who lost Tuesday to Republican Blake Farenthold in one of the state's biggest stunners, has yet to concede the race and says he foresees a recount.

"He cared about people. When he walked into the room, it was just a happier place." — Pat Haggerty, a former member of the Texas House, on the death of State Rep. Edmund Kuempel, who suffered a heart attack on Thursday

MUST-READ:

• Time of soul-searching begins for Texas Dems, Houston Chronicle
• Graves May Solve Mystery in Mexico, The New York Times
• DeLay sought money swap, former RNC official testifies, Austin American-Statesman
• UT, A&M leaders state case for funding, Houston Chronicle
• Can Credit Recovery Courses Cut Dropout Rates?, The Texas Tribune