I’m getting a lot of e-mails from angry Texas Monthly readers insisting that I am a fool for saying that Burka isn’t really on either side, politically. Brett M. wrote:

I like the Media Blog and hit it several times a day but your description of Paul Burka as some kind of middle-of-the-roader is just wrong. I know… he says he voted for Bush but if you read his explanation from last year he only voted for W. because Kerry was the greater moron. I’ve been reading Burka for years — he’s for a state income tax and more spending at all levels of state government. He was a big proponent of a full-time legislature — which of course has turned into SURPRISE! a flabby, overweight money hog. He constantly laments that the state is backward and far inferior to the more progressive (i.e. liberal) states. He attacks conservatives with vigour. The only good things he can ever say about Republicans is when they say something bad about other Republicans. He’s never had a good word about Dick Cheney and only praises Bush (as Governor) to damn Rick Perry. His attacks on Tom Delay have been almost psychotic. The only time he says anything bad about a Democrat is if they are clearly corrupt or deviating from the Party religion and/or aiding Republicans. He’s only a middle-of-the-roader if the road has two left lanes.

Ok, Burka is not that middle-of-the-road. I was wrong. But I think that just makes his comments more interesting. Here’s a pretty liberal guy saying, “Look, these charges aren’t going to stick. Both Democrats and Republicans are engaged in this kind of thing all the time.” And while its his opinion that Ronnie Earle is not a partisan (and I happen to disagree), he used words like “touchy-feely” and “holistic” to describe him — in other words, Earle’s not prosecuting crimes, he’s crusading for justice from his post as Travis County DA, which makes him look kind of Quixotic and dumb (my opinion, not Burka’s). Burka predicted that the thing would never go to trial. I mean, I’m pretty much with this guy.

My point is, fair-minded liberals are looking at this DeLay thing and scratching their heads. The Washington Post editorial on DeLay today is a good example. As Pod says, even the Post thinks this indictment is thin gruel.

I had a great conversation this morning with Anthony Dick, my colleague at the magazine, and he said, “It’s amazing how the Democrats manage to overplay their hand every single time. I mean, can you imagine screwing up so bad that the Washington Post editorial page is now backing Tom DeLay? What are you, magicians?”

It’s true. I can’t help but think Ronnie Earle bet somebody a large sum of money that he could get the Washington Post to back Tom DeLay. “Just give me 34 months and six grand juries,” he said to some rube in a bar. “I swear it can be done.”