Craddick backed toward corner?
Dave McNeely

They find it hard to believe they even have to inquire. But two of Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick's former team members have asked Attorney General Greg Abbott whether and how they can remove him as speaker.

Craddick rebuffed efforts to remove him at the end of the legislative session, insisting the speaker is the lone decider on which House members can speak, and on what.

House Ways and Means Chairman Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, and Civil Practices Chairman Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, think he's wrong. They asked Abbott Monday for a formal opinion on how to interpret the House rules, Texas Constitution, and other precedents about the limits of the speaker's power.

"Clearly, the integrity of the Texas House of Representatives is at a critical crossroads as to whether the use of 'absolute authority' by the post of Texas House Speaker contradicts the state constitution," Keffer wrote. The letter was co-signed by Cook.

Keffer had announced May 15 that he would run for speaker in 2009.

Cook gave an impassioned personal privilege speech a week before the end of the session, sorrowfully lambasting the death grip on the speakership by someone he'd voted for three times.

"Greatness is never found in leaders that place their self interest and financial gain above the public good," Cook said. "This is wrong. . . unethical, and it must be stopped.

In case you missed it, here's the brief playby play:

Several legislators in the final days of the legislative session asked to be recognized for a motion to vacate the chair. Craddick steadfastly refused.

On the Friday night (May 25) before the regular legislative session ended Monday (May 28), Rep. Jim Dunnam, the Democrats' caucus leader from Waco, began asking Craddick from the back microphone about the procedure for vacating the chair.

Craddick said that the speaker alone decided who would be recognized to speak, his decision could not be appealed, and there was no mechanism for removing the speaker short of impeachment.

Craddick's parliamentarians disagreed, and promptly resigned. Craddick then suspended House proceedings, retired to his office behind the House chamber, and returned two hours later with two former House members - Republican Terry Keel and Democrat Ron Wilson - who backed Craddick's contention he had absolute, unappealable power over who could be recognized.

Among their four questions, Keffer wrote to Abbott, is if the House rules "give the Speaker of the House unlimited discretion to refuse to recognize members for purposes of presenting any motion whatsoever - be it a motion to impeach the Speaker, a motion to vacate the chair, or any other sort of motion - do those rules effectively give the Speaker unlimited ability to prevent his removal (by simply refusing to recognize members for the required motions)?"

Another question is whether the speaker is a creation of the House, or, as Craddick contends, a constitutional statewide official.

Abbott, faced with ruling against or for his fellow Republican, probably will split the difference.

Already, five Republicans and two Democrats have filed for speaker. Both Republican and Democratic Craddick supporters may find primary challengers to their re-nomination because they supported - or at least allowed -- Craddick's heavy-handedness.

That also could help Democrats in November in swing districts.

But Craddick reportedly thinks he may have an ace.

In 1996, trying to raise money for Republicans trying to take over the House while Democratic President Bill Clinton was seeking re-election, Craddick told a GOP group that "Bill Clinton is our best friend."

Craddick reportedly thinks the polarizing Hillary Clinton is the likely 2008 Democratic presidential nominee. If she is, he reasons, her negative coattails might help him stay as speaker after all.

Reach McNeely at dmcneely@austin.rr.com or (512) 323-0248.