During a 2003 concert in London, the Texas music group Dixie Chicks apologized to the British crowd, "Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."

You might remember how that apology-on-behalf-of-Texas worked out for the Dixie Chicks back home --- it didn't.

Their remarks angered red, white, and blue-blooded country music listeners and was financially damaging to the female trio. Radio stations quit playing their music and fans boycotted their concerts.

Apparently Texas State Rep. Rick Noriega wasn't paying attention.

During a high-roller fundraiser at the Brown Place Hotel in Denver yesterday, Mr. Noriega said that being a Texan today means always having to say you're sorry.

"I immediately feel compelled to just apologize to all of you," Mr. Noriega said. He continued, remarking that Texans "have all been incredibly embarrassed" by President Bush and Mr. Noriega's own opponent, GOP Sen. John Cornyn.

Which is not only an unfortunate thing to say, but it's also not true.

In the case of Sen. Cornyn, the exact opposite is true. According to Rasmussen, Sen. Cornyn is viewed favorably by 57% of Texas voters, which means that the majority of Texans are not embarrassed by Sen. John Cornyn, which directly contradicts Noriega's claim.

On the other hand, Noriega's numbers are only 45% favorable. Which means that a majority of Texans are not happy with the job that Rep. Noriega is doing back home. Perhaps Mr. Noriega should apologize for that.

Besides, Texans are never "embarrassed" to be from Texas. One of the hallmarks of a true Texan is being over-the-top proud of being a Texan. Many of us only half-jokingly consider ourselves to be Texans first and Americans second.

If you don't live here, I understand how weird that might seem. But if you do live here, you know exactly what I'm talking about --- and it's just one of many things that sets us apart from all them other states.
 
Mr. Noriega is trailing Sen. John Cornyn by a wide margin in both fund raising and the latest polls. According to the same Rasmussen poll, Sen. Cornyn leads Noriega 48% to 37%.

When "leaners" are included, the race is Cornyn 52%, Noriega 38%.

Unable to gain serious backing back home in Texas, it looks like Mr. Noriega is groveling for support and contributions from wealthy West Coast and Northeast Liberals by appealing to their anti-Texas bias.

Trash talking Texas didn't work out very well for the Dixie Chicks, and I'm betting it won't work out so well for Mr. Noriega either.