CAPITOL LETTERS

Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, a Craddick opponent, just had this raw exchange with the speaker about events earlier this evening.

Geren: "And you just recessed ... and walked off the floor of the House?"

Craddick: "It's the speaker's prerogative to do that, unless there's objection, Mr. Geren."

Geren: "There was objection, Mr. Speaker. There was objection all over the floor of the House. We know that you don't have a hearing problem that's that bad!"

And on it went, descending to hard slams against Mr. Craddick's new team of parliamentarians, Terry Keel and Ron Wilson.

Mr. Craddick sought to shut down the inquisition. "Some members would like to go on with the state's business," he said.

As anti-Craddick members peppered him with queries, the speaker's loyalists have started shouting, "Work! Work!"

Meanwhile, state GOP Chairwoman Tina Benkiser issued an appeal for House dissidents to "save politics for the election cycle.” She said Democrats "and even a few confused Republicans" have obstructed progress, "putting their political ambitions ahead of the work which they were sent to Austin to accomplish. This must cease."