Eye on Williamson has been all over Rep. John Carter's embarrassing statements regarding the Voting Rights Act. There's too many posts to link, so go here and take your pick. And also read the editorials by the Statesman, the Chron, and Clay Robison, plus this letter to President Bush (PDF) from the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

I must say, I always knew Rep. Carter was not exactly a deep thinker, but I'm impressed at the depth and breadth of his clownishness lately. Beyond this, there's his unnecessary fitness center earmark, his predictable demagoguery on immigration, his shoddy caretaking of Fort Hood - the list goes on. I find myself wondering if I'm just noticing his foolishness more this year thanks to the presence of a tough and well-qualified candidate opposing him and a dedicated blog keeping an eye on his shenanigans, or if he's just ratcheted up the hijinx recently. Whatever the cause, he's certainly made a spectacle of himself, and not in the good way.