The Brief: Aug. 9, 2012

The Big Conversation:

Ted Cruz is already in, but the names of two other prominent Texans are conspicuously missing from the list of Republicans scheduled to speak at the party's national convention.

On Tuesday, Cruz — fresh off his upset of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in last week's U.S. Senate primary — was named as a speaker at the convention, which will be held in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 27-30.

The news came a week after Democrats announced that San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro had been selected to deliver the keynote address at their convention a week later in Charlotte, N.C.

On the Republican side, drama has surrounded the party's decision whether or not to invite Sarah Palin and Donald Trump, whom party officials fear could alienate voters. Former presidential candidates Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann have not been invited to speak, though Gingrich is scheduled to teach a series of workshops.

The two Texans who made presidential runs of their own, Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, also haven't received invitations to address the party faithful.

"That’s not my call to make," Perry said of not receiving a speaking slot, according to The New York Times. "The convention is for Mitt Romney, not for me. Not for Newt, not for Marco Rubio, not for Chris Christie. It’s for Mitt."

Paul also won't address the convention, but his son, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, has been invited to speak — a move likely aimed in part at assuaging Ron Paul supporters looking to stir up trouble, the Times notes. The longtime congressman, meanwhile, is scheduled to hold a separate rally at the University of South Florida the day before the convention starts.

But Perry, who appeared at a campaign event in Colorado with Romney last week, also told the Times that he could prove useful to his onetime rival in the coming months.

"Most running backs know the reason they were successful is that there was a real good interior lineman who was looking for holes," Perry said. "I see that as my role."

Culled:

• The president and the founder of the Dallas-based Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be stepping down from their positions, the breast cancer foundation announced Wednesday. Liz Thompson, the organization's president, will leave in September, while Nancy Brinker, the founder and chief executive, will transition to a new role centered on strategy and fundraising. The major shakeup comes a few months after the charity drew intense criticism for cutting funding to Planned Parenthood.
• The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Wednesday added the Congressional District 23 race between U.S. Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco, R-San Antonio, and state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, to its "Red to Blue" program, which tries to direct Democrats' attention to certain competitive races across the nation in hopes of boosting fundraising and support. The race between Canseco and Gallego has been pegged as one of Texas' most competitive. 
• As the Tribune's Julián Aguilar reports, the Republican Party is attempting to use the Obama administration’s record number of deportations against the president and Democrats this fall. A new ad running in Nevada warns Hispanic voters that a vote for the president is a vote for the “deporter-in-chief.” But some immigration attorneys say former President Bill Clinton's support for strict immigration laws in the 1990s gives Obama some cover. 

Must-Read:

• As Seas Rise, Texas Pretends It Isn't Happening, The Texas Observer

• Loud Praise for a Mayor of Quiet Record, National Review
• Country star Randy Travis arrested naked and accused of DWI, retaliation in Texas, The Associated Press
• TABC Changes What it Means to Be a Beer, The Texas Tribune