The debate about gubernatorial debates

With the gubernatorial election five months away, it is too early to think about debates between incumbent Republican Rick Perry and his Democratic challenger Bill White.

Yet, reporters and pundits who get press releases from the Perry and White camps have known for weeks the respective campaigns of the two candidates have been holding their own debates about the gubernatorial debates. And for the time being, it doesn’t look like Texas voters will see Perry and White in at least one televised debate.

That became clear earlier today when White, at Perry’s insistence, posted his income tax returns going back to 2004, when he was mayor of Houston. The problem, said Perry’s spokesman Mark Miner, is that the returns should go back to the 1990s when White was deputy secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton.

“Governor Perry looks forward to debating Bill White when he fully comes clean in releasing his tax returns for his years for his years in public service, including the years he served under President Clinton developing energy policy that he has profited from,” Miner said in his daily press release.

It didn’t take White too long to react to Miner’s comments.

“Texans deserve a series of debate about the future of our state,” White said in a statement. “Career politician Rick Perry can no longer hide behind political games."

So, the debate about the Texas gubernatorial debates continues.