11/15/2009

Time hasn't made immigration reform easier
Immigration, after 10 months on the president's back burner, got its very own trial balloon the other day.

11/01/2009

Hutchison irks right by including gay judge as U.S. attorney pick
WASHINGTON – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has sent the White House two suggestions for the post of U.S. attorney in San Antonio. One of the candidates is a highly regarded career prosecutor and judge who also, it turns out, is openly gay.

10/25/2009

Hutchison absenteeism not much of an advantage to Perry
How important is good attendance? Rick Perry has made it a habit to ding Kay Bailey Hutchison each time she misses a vote in the Senate. He began back in February, months before she even had formally announced her campaign for governor, blasting her over a missed procedural vote on a stimulus plan.

10/18/2009

Obama can thank elder Bush for a good excuse to visit Texas
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – George W. Bush never went to Vermont as president. Eight years in office. Hit 49 other states. Skipped Vermont. Not a lot of fans there.

10/04/2009

Liberty Legal takes up cross for religion
WASHINGTON – In a remote corner of the Mojave Desert, there's a war memorial dating to the 1930s. On top, there's an 8-foot cross that is, for now, obscured by a plywood box lest anyone driving 900 miles out of their way happen upon it and take offense at the endorsement of religiosity on public land.

09/20/2009

Hutchison gains support in Congress for governor's bid
WASHINGTON – Nearly half the Texas Republicans in Congress support Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in her bid to oust Gov. Rick Perry.

09/15/2009

Quick Take: Fight over missed votes makes it harder for Hutchison to stay in the Senate
If it wasn’t ACORN, it would have been something else. The fact that the first Senate vote Kay Bailey Hutchison missed since entering the governor’s race happened to be on ACORN — a group Republicans love to hate — was just a bonus.

09/13/2009

Friction between Perry, Hutchison is nothing new
WASHINGTON – Sometimes you have to wonder how much Texas' governor and its senior senator could have accomplished if they'd managed to set aside rivalry and actually, you know, cooperated.

09/06/2009

Timeline is murky for Perry to call election to replace Hutchison in Senate
The death of Sen. Ted Kennedy has provided a fresh reminder that when a Senate seat comes open, two things are sure to happen: Ambitious politicians will scramble for a shot at a rare prize, and law books will get dusted off as state and party officials sort through the arcane and confusing rules.

08/23/2009

Hutchison holding on to Senate seat
WASHINGTON – Out on the stump last week, Kay Bailey Hutchison kept the focus on how much better Texas would be if voters replace Gov. Rick Perry with her, while remaining coy about how much longer she'll stay in the Senate.

08/02/2009

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison knows how to appeal to the masses
WASHINGTON – In the annals of Texas politics, no one ever lost an election with tough talk aimed at criminals, protecting gun rights or bringing civilization to the rural folk.

07/22/2009

Quick Take: Obama becomes salesman in chief with pitch for health care reform
President Barack Obama was in full salesman mode Wednesday night as he tried to soothe the public and keep the heat on Congress.

07/12/2009

Republicans vow to keep open minds during Sotomayor hearings
WASHINGTON – When senators convene on Monday for Judge Sonya Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, Republicans alone will start with open minds.

06/28/2009

Texas legislators join Obama in immigration talks
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has hosted high-level brainstorming sessions on health care, fiscal policy and government transparency in his first five months. Last week, after several delays, he got around to hosting a summit on immigration.

06/21/2009

Texas Watch: GOP senators give Democrats voice on federal judge picks
WASHINGTON – The uneasy Texas truce over the selection of federal judges and prosecutors has quietly taken a turn. The new and improved committee that screens applicants for the state's Republican senators spent Friday at a downtown Dallas law firm, interviewing candidates for U.S. attorney.

06/14/2009

Kay Bailey Hutchison tries clearing up doubts over her loyalty to Ronald Reagan
WASHINGTON – Ronald Reagan isn't on Mount Rushmore. But lots of Republicans think he should be. Thus, it is no small matter for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison when doubts are raised about her commitment to the party's hero.

06/06/2009

Hutchison seeks to reframe conservatism issue as style, not substance
WASHINGTON – The fight is on for the hearts and minds of Texas conservatives, whose affections could decide the Republican primary for governor. Many remain skeptical about Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

05/26/2009

Stakes are high for Obama, Senate Republicans in Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings
Obama's first judicial appointment battle is for a Supreme Court seat, but Senate Republicans must carefully weigh how they will respond to the appointment that would seat the court's first Hispanic justice.