Former national security adviser and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received a special gift when she visited Fort Worth last week.

It wasn’t cowboy boots or a cowboy hat.

It was a purple and white Texas Christian University football jersey, complete with No. 1 and Rice spelled out on the back.

“Go Frogs,” Rice said at the World Affairs Council gathering at the Fort Worth Club.

Tres amigos

U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Gene Green, D-Houston, had quite an adventure last week, hitting hot spots Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq on a congressional trip.

McCaul, who led the trip, leads the House Homeland Security Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. In a meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, he discussed increased trade between the U.S. and Pakistan as the key to undermining terrorism in the region.

The three Texans and two other House members on the trip also met with U.S. and foreign leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq and greeted U.S. troops.

Say what?

Gov. Rick Perry’s memory lapse in Wednesday’s debate has spawned a litany of words and phrases to describe a mental meltdown (hey, there’s one right there) by politicians. Here are some that spewed forth from analysts, blogs and political round tables last week:

Epic face-plant. Slow-motion brain wreck. Gaffe-termath. Chernobyl-style meltdown.

And, perhaps the most often-used, brain freeze and oops moment. Will the media be content to use just plain old gaffe anymore?

Added support

Former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert picked up some support last week — from other Texas mayors.

Ten current and former mayors, including Robert Cluck of Arlington, threw their support behind Leppert in his 2012 bid for the Senate seat Kay Bailey Hutchison will vacate.

“Tom brought in a much-needed common-sense business approach to the mayor’s office. …” Cluck said. “…We need a leader like Tom who has a bold, conservative plan to revive our nation’s stagnant economy and has the experience and proven record to put that plan into action.”