Debates and $$

Pure entertainment.

Independent candidates for governor Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman want to debate Gov. Rick Perry.

Perry, however, said he won't commit to a debate with the independent candidates until he is sure who he is up against in November.

Meanwhile, Kinky has outraised the Democratic candidates by a margin of 3-to-1:

Former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell raised $355,000 in the last six months, and one-time state Supreme Court Justice Bob Gammage collected $67,000, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday with the state.

By comparison, Mr. Friedman, the mystery novelist and singer-songwriter who's running his first race for statewide office, reported raising $1.5 million between July and December.

To bad he spent it all.