Cheney stumps for Sen. Hutchison

Dallas Morning News:

The rally for Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is running for governor, got a late start because of Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is serving as senator.

Dick Cheney was there Tuesday to provide a crowd-pleasing endorsement of Hutchison.

"We Westerners know the difference between a real talker and the real deal," the former vice president said. "And when it comes to being conservative, Kay Bailey Hutchison is the real deal."

Cheney and Hutchison stood before a spray of American and Texas flags on a makeshift stage in an art deco building that was Hobby Airport's original terminal. About 150 Hutchison supporters showed up.

The event was delayed two hours because of votes on a defense appropriation bill in Washington. There had been talk that Hutchison might not make it at all if the Senate scheduled a procedural vote on the health care bill, but that didn't happen. And once she'd voted Tuesday afternoon, Hutchison bolted the Senate floor and ran to catch her flight to Texas.

The delay underscored the difficulty that Hutchison faces with her decision to remain in the Senate while running for governor against Rick Perry.

Candidates run for one office while remaining in another all the time, but Perry has served notice that he's going to make an issue of it. He's chided Hutchison for missing votes in Washington while she's campaigning for governor – and every time he does, it's a reminder to voters that she's the candidate from Washington and he's in Texas.

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I don't think Sen. Hutchison wins an argument that she is more conservative than Gov. Perry. They are both acceptably conservative for Texas. For her campaign to succeed she needs to argue that she can better deliver on conservatism. While Perry is making an issue of her time in Washington and her time away from it, she needs to turn that into an asset by showing she is there fighting for conservative values.

I have high regard for Dick Cheney and he has been a very effective spokesman for the conservative point of view, particularly on foreign policy and national security issues. Expect Perry to counter with Sarah Palin campaigning on his behalf. As the post below notes she is still able to draw huge crowds.