Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who is considered by many to be a possible candidate for Texas governor or vice president, discussed potential nominees for the 2008 presidential election, among other topics, as she addressed Politics Prof. Larry Sabato's Introduction to American Politics class yesterday.
"Senator Hutchison is widely mentioned as a potential governor of Texas in 2010 and is a perfect match for the vice president candidacy," Sabato said in his introduction.
When asked if she was interested in serving as vice president, Hutchison, responded with an emphatic "no," adding, "Who wants to be vice president?"
Hutchison, who has served in the Senate since 1993, opened her lecture by discussing what she felt were the most important tenets of the U.S. democratic system.
"It is the checks and balances, the rule of law ... [and the] resilience of our economy" that has kept our democracy strong, she said.
Hutchison also stressed the "unhealthy atmosphere" and "partisanship" she believes exist in today's politics.
"We need some cooler heads right now," she said.
Hutchison offered her opinions of potential candidates for the upcoming presidential election.
While she did not have a position on who will be nominated as the Republican candidate, she did offer some insight into likely Democratic candidates.
"I think Hilary [Clinton] will get the nomination, but I'm not willing to bet 25 cents on that," Hutchison said. "She has such a powerful infrastructure."
The senator also discussed frequent speculations that former Vice President Al Gore will make a potential run, and noted Sen. Barack Obama's strong chances.
Students were invited to ask questions concerning all facets of politics.
One student asked if states' rights were being infringed upon by modern government.
"I think the Federal government is encroaching upon states' rights too much," Hutchison responded. "I think we're going in the wrong direction and I am now a states' righter."
The guest lecture was not all business, though. Hutchison acted as a guest star in an episode of "Walker Texas Ranger" in 1997, prompting one student to ask about her experience working with Chuck Norris.
"Acting is a whole lot harder than it looks," Hutchison responded as the crowd laughed. "It was fun."
First-year College student Ann Norman commented that she believed Hutchison was an interesting and engaging speaker.
"She was an excellent speaker and she expressed herself very well," Norman said.
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