So is she staying or is she leaving?

While U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has mounted an aggressive gubernatorial campaign for a post she has long coveted, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is increasingly questioning the senator about her commitment to duties she swore to uphold in Washington, D.C.

Initially, Hutchison said she’d leave the Senate last autumn to devote herself to what promises to be a grueling, combative campaign across one of the largest, most populous states in the nation. Then she said she’d stay till the health care debate was resolved.

This week, Hutchison reaffirmed a more nuanced and recent position — that she won’t leave the Senate till her March 2 primary battle with Perry is decided. She also acknowledges that she’ll miss at least some Senate votes, though she says John Cornyn, our state’s junior senator, is up to the task of sufficiently representing Texas.

Which isn’t exactly convincing in our eyes. Cornyn is busy heading up the national strategy to elect more Republicans to the Senate. The irony is that his fellow senator’s indecision has caused plenty of frustration and false starts by those who would seek Hutchison’s post if she truly resigns.

In short: The candidates seem to be putting politics above constituents.

Central Texans have lots of reasons to fully consider Hutchison for any post she might seek. Many of us hold her in high esteem for the long, uphill battle that she and U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards waged to keep the Waco Veterans Affairs Medical Center open.

Even so, Perry’s charge comes with some justification (even as it also contradicts his own support for former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s decision to resign her post for more lucrative pursuits, and halfway into her first term). With health care, cap-and-trade and other significant issues in play on Capitol Hill, this is no time for a part-time lawmaker to be representing Texas. Cornyn is an able legislator, but he’s still just one vote — and Hutchison is accomplished in bringing parties together to craft solutions and smooth out smart compromises.

Health care reform — well, health insurance reform in its current guise — is still in flux, considering the battles now being waged between lawmakers trying to reconcile House and Senate versions of the bill. Hutchison herself is on record as saying that the differences are enough that lawmakers might even have to start over again.

We don’t at all argue with Hutchison’s right to run for governor. She and Perry offer Texas Republicans a terrific chance to debate major issues facing our state. But we believe she needs to cede Senate responsibilities to someone who can give this crucial job the time and attention it obviously rates.