Hutchison gets warm welcome at Senate hearing
The Texan received enthusiastic support from both parties as they considered her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
It was a coming home Thursday for former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who was received by her onetime Senate colleagues as a rock star, or at least the diplomatic version of one, as they considered her nomination to be the U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Hutchison, who was once described by late Austin writer Molly Ivins as having a “nigh-flawless combination of saccharine and steel” was the best known of the five ambassadorial nominees being questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Texan received enthusiastic support from Republicans and Democrats, including the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia who said, “I’m so excited you’re the nominee.”
NATO, founded in 1949 as a bulwark against the Soviet Union, is a Brussels-based military alliance of 29 countries that President Donald Trump as a candidate declared “obsolete.” He has since softened his position.
“I’m not used to being on this side of the podium, but I am pleased to be where I spent so many great years working with my colleagues for my state and our united country,” Hutchison said.
Hutchison, who turns 74 on Saturday, told reporters that she never expected to come back to Washington, nominated for a new public role, after having retired from the Senate in 2013 and returning to Dallas to do legal work and public speaking.
But, approached by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a Texan, she said she was attracted to the combination of being responsible for military and diplomacy issues on the NATO stage.
Hutchison got a fulsome introduction at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by both Texas GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Cruz said: “You know I agree with the president’s effort to extract more from our allies in support of NATO. ... But I think it is also very good to have a U.S. ambassador who has a strong will and a gracious smile to represent America, to represent America with our allies and strengthen those friendships and alliances.”
Cornyn, the majority whip, was the “junior senator” from Texas until Hutchison retired. “I had the honor of serving alongside of Kay for 10 years in the Senate. And when I got here, there were some things that I figured out pretty quickly about her,” he said. Cornyn described her as “tireless,” “relentless” and “most importantly, she always did what she thought was the right thing for Texas.”
If confirmed, Hutchison will have a high-profile role as NATO ambassador given the large number of issues that senators questioned her about, including Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, Russia’s interference in elections, troop commitment to Afghanistan, and Article Five of the treaty that created NATO which says an attack on one nation is considered an attack on all. Trump created a furor in May when he initially did not endorse a united defense strategy.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., asked all the nominees whether they thought Russia had attempted to interfere in the U.S. election. Hutchison replied, “There is a good likelihood, yes,” but added that it was important to complete the investigations.
The foreign relations panel has not scheduled a vote on Hutchison’s nomination.