Paul Begala, Texan

Last night, Paul Begala appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to promote his new book Third Term: Why George W. Bush ♥s John McCain. During the interview, Mr. Begala, a former Clinton advisor, told Mr. Colbert, "Being from Texas, I wear cowboy boots. I don't even own shoelaces."

Mr. Begala is from Texas? Why doesn't he ever mention that?

- "I'm from Texas, you know. Every Texas metaphor either deals with sex or barnyard animals, and preferably both," Real Time with Bill Maher, September 12, 2008.

- "I'm from Texas. It's all sweetness and light," Special Coverage of Primaries in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island, CNN, March 4, 2008.

"And I think one of the ways he failed is that he's fallen into Washington jargon, which is surprising, because he did have this wonderful — I'm from Texas — this wonderful way of talking like a real person, a Texan," Reaction to State of the Union Address, CNN, January 31, 2006.

- "I like those aides. I'm from Texas, I know most of them. I've known most of them for many years," Harriet Miers Nomination, CNN, October 12, 2005.

- "Congressman DeMint, let me ask you again about our president here. It seems to me — first off, being from Texas, I knew him a little bit when he was my governor,"Gay Marriage Firestorm, CNN, February 27, 2004.

- "Well, you need to do important things. Those of us who work for home papers back in our local regions, for example, I'm from Texas, and of course, the arrival of the white trash caucus all from east Texas, always a big deal in our delegations," Democratic National Convention Is Launched, CNN, July 26, 2004.

- "How do I know this? I'm from Texas," Vengeance is His, Washington Monthly, September 2004.

- "Hey, look, I'm from Texas. In Texas, we call an atheist somebody who doesn't believe in Willie Nelson. I love Willie," Interview With Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, CNN, July 9, 2003.

- "You know I'm from Texas. And in Texas, we call somebody who doesn't believe in Willie Nelson an atheist. I mean, I love Willie," Do Latest Deaths in Iraq Undermine Case for Staying?, CNN, October 13, 2003.