Houston Democrats

As Democratic Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio told the Express-News on Sunday, "Back in January, we said we're going to do two things — we're going to reform education, put more money in it, and that we're going to provide taxpayers with property tax relief. We didn't do either one."

No one said financing public schools would be easy. No one should say Perry is entirely to blame.

But let's consider some history and context. Perry offered his own school-funding plan last year. It was rejected. He called a special session. It failed.

The 2005 session began with hope. But a Republican governor with a Republican-dominated Legislature was unable to carry his "emergency" issue across the goal line. His team fumbled the ball.

If that's not a failure of leadership, I don't know what is.

Republican U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison might be saying "no comment" on the record, but off the record she's got to be smiling.

It's not every day you're handed enough political ammo to practically blow your rival out of the governor's mansion.

A gubernatorial showdown between Hutchison and Perry has not officially commenced. (A spokesman says Hutchison will wait another four to five weeks before announcing her intentions.) But the unofficial battle began months ago with an exchange of political volleys.

The Perry camp said Hutchison could best serve Texas in the Senate. The Hutchison camp said Perry should govern and quit worrying about the senator.

Now Perry has more reason to worry. The 79th session just dissolved into a mass of confusion and controversy.

After negotiations between House and Senate leaders on a school finance bill collapsed late Saturday night, Republican infighting erupted.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst accused House Speaker Tom Craddick of withdrawing support from a school-funding plan, House Bill 2, at the 11th hour. Incensed, Dewhurst said Craddick balked after agreeing to the principles of the plan.

Craddick denied there had been an agreement and fought back. He said the proposal was brought to him at 11:30 p.m., "past the time you could physically print a bill in the House."

Smack in the middle of this crossfire stood Perry. A spokeswoman said the governor believed there was an agreement in principle and took the proposal to Craddick. But the House speaker rejected it.

Backing this view was Republican Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano. Supporting Craddick was Republican Rep. Kent Grusendorf of Arlington.

In the back-and-forth, Craddick blamed the failure of HB 2, in part, on divisions over sales and business tax issues in House Bill 3. "We are universes apart," Craddick said.

I'm not sure how a photo editor might describe this picture, but I suspect the caption would not include the words "unified front."

As House and Senate leaders traded blame — "This mess is your fault" and "No, it's yours" — other lawmakers clashed over what to do next. Some said the Legislature should wait for guidance from the state Supreme Court; others said Perry should call lawmakers back for another session.

Where was the governor in all this?

Apparently, cropping a photo for Monday's news conference.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Yep, from the chest up, it's a beautiful shot.

And the rest of the picture?

It's too embarrassing to show.