Rick, Kay, Medina, and the debates...

The Associated Press did a write up of the debate tonight (link). Excerpt follows...

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry clashed over Texas job losses, state taxes and federal spending in a testy debate Thursday night, with each Republican gubernatorial candidate accusing the other of misleading voters and twisting the truth.

"Senator, I know the truth can sometimes be hard to recognize when you've been in Washington for 16 years," Perry said after Hutchison challenged his claim that he cut business taxes.

"Governor, there you go again," she answered, borrowing a famous debate phrase from the late President Ronald Reagan. Throughout the debate Hutchison tried to stick to fiscal issues and accused Perry of not delivering on his promises to reduce business and property taxes.

A third Republican candidate for governor, Debra Medina, joined Hutchison and Perry in the hourlong televised debate at the University of North Texas. Dallas public television station KERA organized the event, the candidates' first debate before the March 2 primary.

Perry repeatedly tried to tie Hutchison to increased federal government spending and accused her of changing her position by voting for a fall 2008 financial industry bailout bill. Hutchison said then-President George W. Bush urged her and other Republicans in Congress to support the bailout bill to combat a "global meltdown" in the economy.

"He hated to do that. We hated to make that vote," she said, adding that she tried to change the bill and later voted against more bailout money.

I thought Rick did a fine job tonight. Kay got in some nice digs. Medina looked very stately and not crazy, but she also did not impress. I will gather my thoughts tonight and blog this tomorrow...