2010: The Bushiest Bushie for Kay

First Karl, then Karen, then Margaret Spellings, then Dick Cheney, and now the Bushiest Bushie of all. This morning, former Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff James Baker, who's closer to 41 than 43 but worked with both, endorsed Kay Bailey Hutchison in the GOP governor's race. I'll repeat a question I've asked before: Other than Joe Allbaugh, Are there any prominent old Bush hands who are for Rick Perry? And what are we to make of that?

The Baker-backs-Kay release follows:

James Baker Endorses Hutchison for Governor

HOUSTON, TX – Addressing the Greater Houston Pachyderm Club today, former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III endorsed Kay Bailey Hutchison in her bid for Texas governor.

Citing a vision for the future and a clear plan to keep Texas strong, Baker said, “I have known Kay for many years and she is the leader Texans need to keep our state strong. No one has, and no one will fight harder for Texas than Kay Bailey Hutchison. She has the record and the vision to lead this state into the future, and that is why I am endorsing her bid to be the Lone Star State’s first female Republican governor.”

Baker, a native Houstonian, has served in senior government positions under three U.S. presidents including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He is a leader in the Republican Party nationally and here at home in Texas.

“Kay has helped build our Party from the ground up. She fought for conservative principles long before we were in the majority. We can trust Kay to keep the governor’s office in Republican hands and remain true to our conservative Texas values,” stated Baker who stressed Hutchison’s ability to defeat Bill White and keep Texas red.

Hutchison is the only candidate in this race who has laid out a clear vision for Texas’ future and a plan to keep Texas strong 20 years from now. She laid out plans to fix Rick Perry’s transportation mess, improve education by tackling the dropout rate head on, secure the border, protect private property rights and keep taxes low. She has also pledge to end the cronyism and mismanagement of our state government under Rick Perry.
 
“I am truly humbled to have the support of one of our nation’s finest public servants,” said Hutchison.  “This election is about the future of Texas, and as governor. I will look ahead and implement policies that will ensure Texas remains the greatest state in the nation.”

Concluding her speech, Hutchison asked the gathered Republicans for their vote in the March 2nd primary, “I have spent my career fighting for Texas. I want to serve you as governor, so that we keep Texas the greatest state in the nation. Today, I am asking for your vote. Help me clean up Austin and give the government back to Texans. Together, we can fix transportation, improve the dropout rate and put an end to the cronyism that has resulted in 600,000 acre land grabs, the Trans Texas Corridor, and mandated HPV vaccinations for sixth grade girls. We deserve better.”