I owe the Indian nations and most of the United States an apology, because I’ve become a Texan. My family roots are in the Cherokee Nation, but I was raised just across the border in the Muscogee Creek Nation by grandparents who met on the Sac & Fox reservation back when it was still a reservation.

I was assigned to Baja Oklahoma by the military, lured by the University of Texas, and fell in love with Austin back when it was Tex-Mex and Shiner Beer and Willie Nelson.

Excuses, I know. Just excuses.

How about these excuses? I never voted for George W. Bush and I never voted for Rafael “Ted” Cruz. So why should I have to apologize? Regarding W, I said to anybody who would listen that even if the candidate were Ann Richards, being governor of Texas is not preparation to be POTUS.

Texas has a classic post-Reconstruction weak governor system. I can’t put the governor even in the top-three of people responsible for governing Texas. The governor is behind the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Comptroller of Public Accounts and the Inspector of Hides.