The Sunday Texas Magazine in the Chron has a nice cover story on former Railroad/Ag Commissioner Jim Hightower. Hightower is one of the old guard of Texas liberalism. He's a founder of Texas Observer, author of several books, columnist for The Nation, and radio broadcaster.

I've always liked Hightower but prefer him at a bit of a distance. He's a fair bit farther left than I am, and he supported Nader in 2000 (though he hasn't abandoned the Democrats). Basically, if you take Michael Moore and add in actual intelligence and writing ability while maintaining the humility and humanity of a real populist, you'd get Jim Hightower.