U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, who faces challenger State Rep. Rick Noriega (D-Houston) in the Senate race, suggested in a speech at the GOP state convention that a lot of Republicans in Washington have strayed from conservative principles. He touted his conservative bona fides to the audience and against abortion, "immoral experimentation in the name of science," illegal immigration and high taxes.  He promised to reduce the size of government, insist on transparency, make the government friendlier to the free enterprise system, and continue to support the war on terror.

Cornyn also largely echoed Newt Gingrich's sentiments. The former U.S. House speaker, taking his turn at the convention, called on the U.S. Congress to repeal laws making it illegal to drill for oil in the several promising sites within the United States, including the Atlantic coast, the Eastern Gulf, and ANWR. He touted the slogan “Drill Here. Drill Now. Pay Less.”
 

Former presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney were in Houston for the GOP state convention, where Huckabee called on Republicans to return to their moral roots and Romney defended presumed nominee John McCain, saying candidates like Barack Obama often have enthusiastic followings that don't translate into electoral victories.  

Former Arkansas Gov. Huckabee said that it is important to resist the "insidious" movement within the party to move away from social issues such as abortion and marriage and focus on economic issues only. He said the Republican party is strong "only when it remembers its roots of conservatism" -- pro-life pro-family etc.  The Baptist minister generously used religious imagery in his speech, referring to Jesus' rule to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Hey, Mavs fan: The Lakers’ 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals might be good for what ails us.