It wasn't just the 2006 State of the Union address where Henry Cuellar gave President Bush some sugar.

Maybe he just craves the camera, like Sheila Jackson Lee? :)

I know it is far too close to election day to let facts interfere with the campaign, but check out the Congressional Research Service summary of HR 4360, the alleged "minutemen support bill."

Border Law Enforcement Act of 2005 - Establishes a Designated County Law Enforcement Assistance program jointly within the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide financial assistance and authorization for the law enforcement operations of sheriffs in counties adjacent to the southern U.S. border. Authorizes the sheriffs in these counties to: (1) coordinate law enforcement operations in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement; (2) conduct law enforcement operations in their counties in order to enforce criminal laws and protect lives, property, and security; (3) transfer aliens detained or taken into custody who are not lawfully present in the United States to appropriate federal law enforcement officials; (4) enforce state and federal laws relating to controlled substance trafficking and other criminal laws other than immigration laws (except as provided in an agreement with DHS); and (5) be paid for the costs of performing such duties or functions by the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security.

What this bill does is reimburse sheriff's offices along the border for the work that they are essentially already doing. It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the minutemen. The bill has 31 cosponsors, including just about everyone whose district stands to gain money from the bill. bluelatino has backed off their original claims, but it is good that they made Cuellar come out and say what he thinks about walls and militias along the border.

http://www.bluelatinos.org/cuellar

PS I am sure everyone is familiar with the troubles in Nuevo Laredo. I know the voters in CD28 are.

The thing that is going to do Cuellar in is his habit of voting with the Republicans on issues that matter to seniors. The New York Times runs a story today which says, among other things:

But pollsters say the Republicans' difficulties with the over-60 vote go beyond the complicated drug benefit, which began Jan. 1. President Bush's failed effort to create private accounts in Social Security last year was also unpopular with many older Americans. That, in addition to confusion over the drug benefit, has "taken the key swing vote that's been trending the Republicans' way and put it at risk for the next election," said Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster. "And what that means is Republicans are going to have to work extra hard."

Yet instead of working hard explaining his vote, Cuellar and his team are looking like the Keystone Kops as they wrongly accuse Ciro of lobbying for a company that outsources jobs when all Ciro was doing was help San Antonio kids learn science.

Combine being on the wrong side of the issues, an incompetent campaign and taunting the blogs, and it's looking more and more like what you get is a former congressman named Henry Cuellar.

If Ciro can make it to a runoff, he has a shot...especially if the internet money keeps flowing. I am surprised Ciro's San Antonio donations have been so low, though. Who is Cuellar's campaign manager? What are the latest poll numbers?

You'd have to ask the Cuellar campaign for their latest numbers, since there's been no reason for us to do a poll yet. Seems to me their ill-advised attempt to attack Ciro was poll-motivated. If their polling had shown them on the cusp of 50, they wouldn't have felt the need to go negative.

A runoff is the best that Cuellar can hope for.

Oscar Villarreal, elections administrator, said he expects a higher turnout than in past years. Villarreal said two years ago, about 33,000 registered Webb County voters cast a ballot. He's expecting 37,000 to 38,000 this year. There are more than 98,000 registered voters in Webb County.

We've got a lot of candidates," Villarreal said. "There's high interest in this primary. We're thinking it will add to the overall turnout."

From the Laredo newspaper.

Not all of those are for Cuellar, since Bonilla has a slice of north and west Laredo in his district. At the end of the day, it comes down to turnout, turnout, turnout!

Mayoral candidate John Galo has donated thousands to Bush! vote Raul Salinas for Laredo Mayor! contribute to Salinas campaign: http://raulsalinas.com/form.html