Capitol Annex claims that John Cornyn's complaints about Hillary Clinton's nomination for Secretary of State (though he ultimately voted for her) was a calculated ploy to maneuver himself for a presidential run in 2012:
U.S. Senator John Cornyn’s actions to hold hostage Sen. Hillary Clinton’s confirmation as Secretary of State weren’t just the random act of an ultra-conservative lawmaker out for more information from the Clinton Foundation.
In fact, they were likely the first salvo in Cornyn’s likely bid for the White House in 2012.
As his party attempts to rise from the ashes of the last two election cycles and gravitates ever rightward, there is a lot of buzz about the junior senator from Texas.
Cornyn will likely deny any such ambitions, but rumors of other Republicans encouraging him to make a run and of a run by him being seriously discussed have made it to us from the cooridors of Washington, D.C., Austin, and San Antonio.
Of course, Cornyn would be a complete disaster as a presidential candidate, but he’s a rightwing conservative that is still fairly new to the national scene, and that seems to be what his party is looking for these days.
I agree with the final assessment of his chances. I don;t think we will see another Texan in the White House for a long time. And social conservatives in general have driven away past allies, which makes it less likely that the Republican Party will make another its nominee. Unlikely, but not impossible.
