Really good post. One quick non-soccer related response to the comment: "You could tell that Presidents from Texas had been in the White House for 12 of the last 22 years, as the level of investment in infrastructure was amazing."
Texas is a "donor state." Since 1981, Texas has consistently ranked in the bottom half of federal spending per dollar of federal tax spent. During all of those years Texas has never received more money from the federal government than it has paid in taxes.
South Carolina, on the other hand, has ranked in the top half of federal spending versus federal tax and has always received more money than it has paid in taxes.
The Texas economy is amazing and thriving - but I don't think that the Bush's being president is the major reason for that. I think you have to look deeper at the policies of the state.
