Kinky Friedman. Again.

Kinky Friedman, who helped make the 2006 Texas governor's race an entertaining "must-see," is on the road again -- as a performer. In Washington Thursday on a four-city East Coast swing, Friedman and his two long-time sidekicks, Little Jewford and Ratso, filled the Birchmere in nearby Alexandria, Va. Friedman got to use "my two favorite words in the English language 'sold out.'"

Friedman performed the night that Barack Obama was giving his boffo speech in Denver, which wasn't a problem for the Texan, even though the singer-songwriter-humorist -novelist-candidate now declares himself to be a Democrat. "I'm not supporting Barack Obama," he said before the show. He likes McCain but stops short of saying he'll back him. Mainly, he's weighing his own options for governor in 2010. "I ran as an independent. I don't think Texans vote for independents. I'll go back to my roots as an old-style Democrat like Ann Richards and JFK. If we can get the rednecks back into the Democratic Party, we can win." He's not committed to running, but he sure sounds close.

1. I'll say it once again: Kinky Friedman will not be the Democratic nominee for Governor in Texas in 2010 unless every other possible candidate, including Gene Kelly and Rhett Smith, decline to run. Having said that, he could perhaps incrementally improve his odds of winning - from "snowball's chance in hell" to "snowball's chance in Death Valley" - by doing something that might identify him as a Democrat to Democratic primary voters. You know, like maybe supporting the Democratic nominee for President. I'm not asking him to phone bank or donate money or sign up to receive text messages on his cellphone, assuming he has one. A simple, declarative "I support and will vote for Barack Obama for President" would do nicely.

2. This is becoming as tedious as the neverending flow of "Kay Bailey Hutchison says she's going to run for Governor in 2010, and this time she means it" stories. For crying out loud, the fact that Friedman is talking about running for Governor again and has been talking about it for a year now doesn't mean it's worthy of mention in a newspaper, or even in a newspaper's blog, every time he farts in the general direction of a political beat reporter. We get it. He wants to run. He'll tell anyone in earshot that he wants to run. Oh, and as long as you're listening, he's also got a CD/a new book/some cigars/some amazing soap and laundry products to sell you. Please, for the love of God, give it a rest already.