Now that's what I call a quick weight-loss plan!

Who needs diet and exercise when you have Photoshop?

The brochure that U.S. House candidate and former Sugar Land mayor Dean Hrbacek mailed to voters this week says, "Dean's record speaks for itself."

But his physique does not. In a photo next to the words of praise, Hrbacek's body is spoken for by the torso of an appreciably slimmer man.

The picture, presented as a true image of the candidate, is actually a computerized composite of Hrbacek's face and someone else's figure, in suit and tie, from neck to knee caps. The give-away is a flawed fit of head and collar.

Hrbacek, a tax lawyer and accountant, did not return calls about the campaign literature Thursday. He is among 10 Republicans seeking the nomination to run against U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford.

But campaign manager Scott Broschart admitted the image is a fake.

Hrbacek has been so busy meeting voters in the 22nd Congressional District that he had no time for a photo session that would have produced a full-length, genuine photo for the political mailing, Broschart said.

So Hrbacek's campaign consultants at the Patriot Group in Austin -- whose clients have included congressmen, elected state officials and politically influential homebuilder Bob Perry -- put the headless body with the candidate's disembodied head.

"He may appreciate that we took a few pounds off him," Broschart said.

You know, when things are really getting serious and everyone's feeling uptight, it's good to know we can always count on the Fort Bend County Republican Party for a little comic relief. Stace, Juanita (who's all over this), and Cory have more.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on January 18, 2008 to Election 2008