The Chronicle reported last week that Esquire, the famed national men's magazine, endorsed Chris Bell for Texas governor, despite incumbent Rick Perry clearly being more in line with their square-jawed, perfect-hair ideal. But Esquire didn't stop there: they also endorsed in every Congressional race, as well.

   I must destroy Happy Jack.
   I am a sporting man, a gambler, and man of leisure. I am a gentleman.
   All the same, I must destroy Happy Jack.
   The game is shuffleboard, an elegant game played by proud warriors in bars all across this land, and, perhaps not so surprisingly, on the lido deck of many a luxury liner cruising the high seas.
   Happy Jack, the King of the Shuffleboard Table, has been in my nightmares, waking me up in the middle of the night with a cold sweat lining my tired brow, haunting me with visions of horrible and painful defeat.
   “Heh, heh,” his raspy laugh taunts me. “Way too hard!”
   And it’s true. The man is right. I’ve thrown the weight off the end of the board, yet again sealing my fate.
   I am a loser.

This press release was singled out for much-deserved derision here at the Chron: Texas has a fever - and the only prescription is more Chris Bell. I mean, come on!

But it was a welcome bone for yellow dogs – it heralded Bell's pull from the pack into a firm second place. A second survey out today, this one from Rasmussen, confirms the initial SurveyUSA findings. While tucked away behind Rasmussen's subscription-only ramparts, it's noted today over at Daily Kos . Ten points is a lot, but bottom line, Bell's got a much better shot than he did weeks ago.

Or as his campaign puts it: Momentum, thy name is Bell. Who writes these things?

"Texas has a fever - and the only prescription is more Chris Bell"

No, seriously – they really sent out a release with that as the title. Is it a headline, or a bad come-on in a singles bar?

Those crabgrass reactionaries at the Austin Neighborhoods Council are hosting a review of the city's bond election tonight. Planning Commission chair Dave Sullivan will describe how $90 million for a new, central Las Manitas is money well spent, while Carl Tepper will argue it just isn't enough. (Disclaimer: None of the above arguments will actually happen. Consult your doctor if swelling or leakage occurs.) Also on hand will be the Bond Election Advisory Committee's Tom Terkel, and North Austin Civic Association president Linda Moore. NACA is especially wed to Prop 3's $8.9 million for a North Austin Community Center.

The conventional wisdom is that, although he's not up for re-election, voter disapproval of President Bush is killing the GOP's congressional candidates. If that's true, then Sunday's Washington Post poll on Bush's ratings didn't improve their mood: He dropped down to 37%, and hasn't been above 50% since January of 2005. This actually isn't his lowest mark – he sunk to 33% back in May. His disapproval rating is at 60%.

After a strong start Monday, early voting in Travis County picked up even more on Tuesday – 5,753 voters, about 700 more than Monday. Throw in the mail-in ballots received, and that makes 13,488 total, or 2.43% of the county's registered voters. The current pace points to a possible 40%-45% turnout by the end of election night. So far, the most popular polling spot is the Randalls at 10900 Research, with 1,058 voters, followed by the University of Texas with 927. Click here for a full list of early voting sites. Keep voting, Travis!

Or at least for this election: "Vote Twice for Bob Smither"

No, the Friendswood Libertarian doesn't want you to break the law. It's just that Congressional District 22 in the south Houston area has a weird circumstance – the seat is on the ballot twice. Because disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay resigned the seat earlier this year, a special election is on the ballot to fill out the remainder of his unexpired term – the winner would serve from the date of election until the term ends in January. Dist. 22 is also on the general election ballot – the winner of that election will serve the normal two-year term of 2007-09. Smither is the only candidate on the ballot in both elections. (Democrat Nick Lampson, who is favored to win the general election because there is no Republican on the ballot, is not entered in the special election.)

When Nebraska wide receiver Terrence Nunn hauled in that third-and-three pass from quarterback Zac Taylor with a mere two minutes remaining in Saturday’s game at Lincoln, he held the fruition of a significant upset in his hands. The Cornhuskers were then leading 20-19 and all they had to do from that first down on was run out the clock on the half-frozen Texas Longhorns. Fortunately Aaron Ross had other plans. As Ross and his magnificent helmet jarred the ball from Nunn’s grasp, momentum dramatically switched once Marcus Griffin fell upon it. Through sheer luck and a touch of resiliency, the defending national champion Longhorns salvaged any hopes of Texas repeating its glorious 2005 title run.