I’m glad the premier periodical of conservatism has finally caught up with me.

Texas’s Ted Cruz has come a long way in his quest to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison in the United States Senate. He has spent the better part of the last year slowly closing the polling gap with his principal rival, the better-known lieutenant governor David Dewhurst, to the point that a runoff between the two now seems the likeliest of outcomes in the May 29 primary. But finishing a strong second isn’t an outcome worthy of an articulate, principled conservative such as Cruz. He can and should win a runoff with Dewhurst, become the Republican nominee, and be elected the next senator from the state of Texas.

I encourage you to read the rest.

Now I will point out that David Dewhurst is engaging in a scurrilous attack on Cruz over one of his clients. That is not just an attack on Ted Cruz – it is an attack on the American justice system. Cruz is a noted appellate attorney who is still in private practice in addition to running for Senate. As such, this means that many of his clients will have lost at the trial court level and are seeking to overturn a verdict against them. That is the beauty of our legal system – but it can only work if both sides have advocates to represent them. Ultimately, the merits of the particular case are not relevant – what matters is that the rights of all parties are involved are protected by competent legal counsel. That David Dewhurst and his surrogates are attacking Cruz for engaging in an essential part of our criminal justice system tells me more about Dewhurst’s lack of support for our Constitution and consequent unfitness for elective office than it tells me about Ted Cruz.