Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison when asked about Bush's performance: 'That's not a fair question' Nick Langewis and Mike Aivaz

Published: Saturday October 27, 2007



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Print This Email This Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) appeared with Bill Maher to discuss her new book, Leading Ladies , and field questions about her agenda. "It got a little more news than I thought it really should," Hutchison says of her decision not to seek another term in 2012. The Senator declines Maher's enthusiastic invitation to "let it all out," even on late-night HBO, given her situation, though she does discuss a recent poll that showed a drop in "favorable" views of Republicans by Independents. "I think," Hutchison says, "any time you have troops in harm's way--it's a tough time in our country, and we do--we're in a war, and I think that this is a tough time for Republicans. There's no question about it." "We lost the House and Senate majority last year," she continues, "so how could we not think that this is a period of retrenchment?" "But usually," rebuts Maher, "war makes people rally around the people in power." "I think," replies Hutchison, "that, like Vietnam, and like this war on terror, there are a lot of people who disagree with either--that we are in war, or the way it's being handled, and I think, obviously, people have a right to disagree. But, we do have troops in harm's way. It is a very tough time in our country." The Senator touts the GOP's desire to "do the right thing," using methods such as low taxes, lowering deficits, and "reforming" Social Security. "You like her, don't you," Maher asks Hutchison about colleague and Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "Personally, we do get along," says Hutchison, with a segue into her chapter on first ladies in her book. Maher then asks the Senator who she thinks is the better president between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. "Well, that's not a fair question, as you know," responds Hutchison. Her rationale is that it's not a fair question because she's a Republican. Maher does agree with President Bush on immigration, calling him unusually reasonable on that issue in particular. "Do you think it's becuase he had a maid who was really nice to him as a kid, or...?" "He is a very compassionate person," responds the Senator to jeers from the audience, "and he really does believe, in his heart, that we should do the right thing." The entire exchange, as broadcast on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher on October 26, 2007, can be viewed below.

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