Then There Were Two: Curnock, Flores Fuss About Soros

The gloves come off; good will agreement seems forgotten

All hands in the Republican Primary race for Congressional
District 17 signed a anti-negative campaigning agreement
last June.

It appears to be forgotten as candidate Rob Curnock went
after retired Houston oil executive Bill Flores hammer and
tongs over the weekend.

Though it's not clear exactly what was said when and by
whom, somehow George Soros, the enigmatic Hungarian Jewish
banker and fund manager whose family changed its name from
Schwartz to the palindrome Soros - a Hungarian verb meaning
to take flight and soar - to escape Nazi persecution before
and after World War Two.

He later obtained work as a porter and waiter in England and
worked his way through the London School of Economics where
he honed the already considerable currency trading skills he
gained in post-war Budapest during a time of hyperinflation.

Mr. Soros is a frequent contributor to the columns of the
"Financial Times," an international newspaper published in
London and devoted to all matters involving money.

A former board member of the Council on Foreign Relations
and a widely published author of economics books who decries
the underpinnings of the European Union and its relatively
new currency, the Euro, Mr. Soros headed up Soros Strategic
Partners, which provided "bridge capital" to yet another
"late" investor in Mr. Flores' startup, Phoenix Exploration.

Pine Book Road Partners eventually secured a $100 million
contribution to the venture - $50 million from Soros and $50
million of its own, according to a fact sheet circulated by
the Flores campaign manager, Matt Machowiak.

"Bill Flores does not know George Soros, has never met
George Soros, and does not support any of George Soros'
political beliefs," states the fact sheet circulated by Mr.
Mackowiak.

According to a letter he sent to Republican supporters, "the
other Repubican runoff candidate is personally calling you
(and others) in order to foment false accusations about Bil.
This is disapointing fo rmany reasons, but two in
particular. First, everything we have heard is false and has
already been refuted by Bill...

"Second, our opponent signed an agreement to run an honest
and positive campaign focused on issues so that our
campaigns could help educate voters about why our candidates
will be better than Chet Edwards."

Accusations and counter accusations fly between the two
camps regarding endorsements of uncommitted candidates
eliminated from the fray and disputes over whose signs will
be replaced by whose signs, and where.

While extolling his conservative credentials, Mr. Curnock
has denounced Mr. Flores as a moderate who supported Kay
Bailey Hutchison in her primary battle against Governor Rick
Perry and has stated that Mr. Flores voted for Hilary
Clinton in the Democratic Presidential Primary.

It's a red hot Texas primary run-off, all right. Just what
we signed up for and we're getting it laid on thick and
rich.

Stand by to stand by.