Tom Schieffer Interviewed by KXAN's Jenny Hoff

by: David Mauro

Mon Mar 09, 2009 at 11:28 AM CDT

Tom Schieffer, who is exploring a Gubernatorial run as a Democrat, sat down with Jenny Hoff of KXAN in Austin yesterday for a six minute interview.

Schieffer says a lot of stuff that I completely agree with in the interview, especially about education.

He says as Ambassador he was serving the nation, "not the Republican Party" and that he never stopped being a Democrat. He has said before he does not regret supporting George W. Bush in any of the races.

I would like to hear Mr. Schieffer explain why he supported George W. Bush over Ann Richards in 1994, over Garry Mauro in 1998, over Al Gore in 2000 and over John Kerry in 2004.

As a Democrat, what made him think Bush would do a better job?

He can insist he never left the Democratic Party all he wants, but eventually we are going to need some answers.

Tags: KXAN, Jenny Hoff, Democratic Primary, TX-Gov, 2010, Tom Schieffer, (All Tags)

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Tom Schieffer Interviewed by KXAN's Jenny Hoff | 1 comments

Good questions, David. (0.00 / 0)

This interview and the earlier press conference seem quite similar to me. With this one, he also emphasizes how he supported George W. Bush. And he starts off by talking about education and how Texas is in jeopardy of becoming like a 3rd world country. (Shades of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" propaganda...)

I sense a lack of enthusiasm or maybe it's passion. He is "bothered" by how Texas is perceived in the world ("not" because of George W. Bush as Jenny Hoff suggested). Weird.

He says he gave "comfort" to Australians as the ambassador? Interesting since the former Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, was certainly a "comfort" to W throughout his tenure (even keeping Obama from moving into Blair House a few days early) receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush one week before Obama took the oath of office.

Maybe Schieffer's seeming lack of enthusiasm (as I perceive it to be) is really an inability to "connect." Serving as Ambassador to Australia from 2001-2005 and then as Ambassador to Japan from April 11, 2005 until the end of Bush's 2nd term (January 20, 2009) would certainly make for some disconnectedness. (He wasn't exactly close by during the devastating storms Katrina and Rita in 2005 or even Ike last year.)

He says it's about "education and a globalized economy"? Really? In 2009? Seems that's what we heard from the Bush administration quite a lot. What about the economic disaster we're experiencing and the aftermath of 8 years of failed policies of the Bush administration?

Maybe Mr. Schieffer means well. But it's unfortunate that he seems ready to get out there on that campaign trail and tell us that George W. Bush was a good president. I have a better idea. Why doesn't Mr. Schieffer tell us what it was like living in Australia and Japan for the past 8 years, and how those experiences will make him a great Texas governor.

I wish him the best of luck.

by: Elsbeth @ Mon Mar 09, 2009 at 23:44:40 PM CDT