Kathleen Turner, Red-Hot Hypocrite on Showing Up to Meet the Opposition

In the "Yeas and Nays" column of Tuesday's Washington Examiner, reporter Nikki Schwab found Kathleen Turner insisted it would be a "real shame" if Republicans didn't come to Washington's Arena Stage and see her in "Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins." It would be a sad "reflection of our nation's mentality" if they wouldn't attend because it doesn't represent their point of view.

But wait a minute -- she also told Schwab that she "purposely" avoided meeting with President Bush at the White House in her capacity as an adviser to the Kennedy Center. She did some "real dodging" for a few years:

What she's more concerned with, is attracting the right kind of D.C. audience. "One of these challenges may be getting a wide enough breadth of people to come, you know, because people are so closed-minded now, that if they think it doesn't represent their point of view, they're not interested," she said. "I'm afraid it will be like -- if you're a Republican, don't go to the show -- it's a real shame both artistically and as a reflection of our nation's mentality."

Before Ivins passed away from breast cancer in 2007, she and Turner's paths crossed several times, ranging from attending the same People For the American Way event to riding in the same elevator at a New York City apartment building. But while Ivins became famous for mocking former President George W. Bush, nicknaming him "Shrub" and "Dubya," Turner told us that her approach to dealing with the Bush years was a bit more subtle.

"I had to do some real dodging there once in a while, but I pretty much managed it," she said, explaining that she "purposely" never met Bush. "I used to be on the Kennedy Center artistic, you know, selection board and those events are always held at the White House, and so then I had to bow out for a few years, didn't I?"