Movement conservatives in Texas are upset by an Oct. 12 New York Times story on the school-board wars there. Not so much by Rick Lyman's reporting, which was pretty fair: the conservative board members were given several chances to make clear that they were fighting for phonics, serious curricula, and local control rather than for, say, creationism (as one might expect from the rhetoric of their "moderate Republican" critics).

No, what has them hopping mad are the quotes from prominent allies of Gov. George W. Bush. Republican board chairman Jack Christie said that he could negotiate more easily with the PLO than with the board's conservatives, which may say more about him than them, but he's used such rhetoric before. Republican state senator Bill Ratliff reiterated his view that the conservatives are "an embarrassment for the State of Texas." The show-stopper, however, is the comment of top Bush adviser Karl Rove: "I thought I was a right-winger, but these people are far out there. In the carnival of life, they are in a very distant booth."

No doubt all this dissent annoys Bush and his appointees, especially coming from a group used to rubber-stamping education-establishment initiatives. But as the editors of the feisty Lone Star Report point out, the conservatives' record is quite defensible. "The conservatives forced a rewrite of the original Texas [education standard] guidelines from the [Texas Education Agency], which even Bush agreed were 'mushy.' . . . Phonics were returned to reading instruction only after intermediaries for the [state board's] conservatives convinced Bush to back 'phonics' and reverse the TEA position on the 'whole language' method."

The Lone Star Report editorializes that Bush should "replace his education commissioner Mike Moses and his liberal apologist board chairman Jack Christie--the first and foremost defenders of the education bureaucracy. . . . When the governor *really* gets serious about education he will need a new set of allies. At such times the [board] conservatives that he has repeatedly allowed to be trashed would be good candidates.

"Texas conservatives have rallied around Bush despite reservations in important policy areas, believing his political popularity would generally promote conservative goals. But if his hatchetmen are allowed to undertake 'search and destroy' missions which confirm these reservations--wrecking the truce at will--conservatives will reevaluate this accommodation and start deserting his ranks."

Anyone looking for informed, incisive conservative commentary on Texas politics as the presidential race draws closer needs to check out LSR. Its phone number is 1-888-472-6089.

The Last Conservative?
The only member of the GOP leadership to vote against the budget deal was Don Nickles (Okla.). While other elephants herded to back bigger government, at least one exhibited the appropriate memory of what a Republican agenda should look like.

Quote of the Day
From Tyler Cowen's "Is Our Culture in Decline?" in the new Cato Policy Report: "Some movie buffs complain that 'they don't make 'em like they used to,' but the best American films of the last 20 years -- my list would include The Thin Blue Line, Blue Velvet, Basic Instinct, Schindler's List, Dangerous Liaisons, L.A. Confidential, Titanic, and The Truman Show -- belie that opinion." Basic Instinct? Titanic? The culture is obviously in worse shape than Judge Bork ever imagined.

More evidence: Michael Milken has a cookbook; Anna Quindlen has a movie; and a new, "dark and edgy" Fantasy Island is on the air. Are the end times upon us?