It’s no secret that allies of George W. Bush are playing key roles in Kay Bailey Hutchison’s campaign for Texas governor. With top Bush pal Jim Francis, Karen Hughes and maybe even Karl Rove (he’s said to be at least a behind-the-scenes adviser) on board for the senator, the race is shaping up as a battle between “moderate” Bushies and the GOP’s conservative base. That’s why this part of Francis’ pro-Kay op-ed in the DMN this morning was so, well, interesting:
Austin has changed markedly under Perry — from advancing the core philosophies of the conservative movement to cronyism and back-door dealings. These are precisely the problems the Republican Party has faced at the national level and caused the demise of our numbers in Congress and cost us the White House.
But, wait; hold on a minute. Wasn’t it W himself who was accused of “cronyism”–see Alberto Gonzales, Harriett Miers, Michael Brown, et al–and of almost single-handedly causing the party’s “demise” in the last election? Hmmm. Maybe I had him confused with somebody else.
