A colleague in Dallas reports that Leppert had a daylong meeting with the Scott Howell firm, and fundraiser Carol Reed was present as well. This sounds serious. Suggestion: Figure out a response for the certain-to-be-asked question: Why did you change your mind when you said that mayor of Dallas was the only office you were interested in? Some friendly advice: Try to give a better answer than Hutchison has offered about why she came back to Texas to challenge Perry instead of staying in the Senate.