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Excerpts from an interview with state Senate President Tim BeeU.S. Congress, District 8: Democrat: Gabrielle Giffords Return Giffords to U.S. House Dems pull Bee ad after complaints from Giffords

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Giffords: Definitely solar energy. When I was sworn into office it was important for me to immediately begin focusing on how we were going to make solar energy a reality for Arizona, and not just something that we all talk about how much sun we have and how someone should really do something about it.

I formed this advisory committee that has solar experts from the university and private sector, environmentalists, homeowners, and we started working, and put together a plan over the summer. And we've been able to deliver on many of the most important aspects.

. . . The most important aspect in order to really deliver was the extension of the renewable energy tax credits. In the last days of the Congress, I was working very hard to make sure my leadership knew this was very important to me.

Star: You mention Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain frequently. What kind of working relationship do you have them, particularly with Sen. Kyl?

Giffords: I like Sen. Kyl. I respect Sen. Kyl. I know that he works very hard. I'm sure that he and I do not vote the same way on the majority of bills, but he's very thorough and hardworking and he works hard for the people of Arizona. We don't see Sen. McCain very often. He's been running for president and always been more of a national and international leader. But (Kyl has) really come to the aid of the communities I've been working for.

Giffords: Even though we disagree, we've not disagreeable. He was very helpful in endorsing me early when I had a six-way primary two years ago. I very much appreciate this support and endorsement, and he's represented this community for a very long period of time. He and I have different backgrounds. He represents a very different constituency.

. . . He has been a lifetime fighter for people who are extremely disenfranchised and have no voice in the public process . . . and I respect him for that.

Giffords: Immigration. No one is talking about immigration. Two years ago, it was all immigration, all the time — not just here in Southern Arizona, across the nation. And the problem has not gone away. The apprehensions are down, but the problem has not gone away.

Giffords: Maybe it will make it easier. Maybe if it's not so toxic, maybe if you don't have folks out there like Lou Dobbs or (Don) Imus, and some of these national conservative figures out there . . . it might not be as polarizing.

Giffords: Capital punishment. I was pro-capital-punishment when I first ran for office. Now I have some real concerns about our system. Justice is truly not blind. The system favors those who have the resources to defend themselves. Oftentimes I think it's far worse punishment to let people rot in jail and have to wake up every day knowing the destruction they've caused and the harm they've caused than to put them out of their misery.

On a congressional level . . . when they first put guard and reserve on the border, I didn't fully understand why they were pulling our men and women away from their traditional roles of protecting our state and protecting our nation. But I really learned how helpful they were working with the Border Patrol.

Giffords: I think we'll see after the election. Obviously looking at who wins, the margins, where you win, where you win in relation to Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama, you've got to take all of those issues into consideration. The wild card for us in Arizona is that we're the second-fastest-growing state. The political landscape is going to look very different two years from now.

Giffords: Voting to continuing funding the troops in Iraq was very unpopular with many Democrats. They continue to protest my office on a regular basis.

Giffords: It's an independent district. You make some people happy, you make some people mad. I voted against the Protect America Act (reauthorization of President Bush's FISA legislation dealing with warrantless wiretapping) . . . which I felt did not protect the Fourth Amendment.

Giffords: I like people, and it's enormously satisfying helping people make their lives better . . . There's really no bigger way to help people on a large scale than creating laws that respond to the needs of the community you represent.

Giffords: It's a different community than it was. But the fact that we've always had the University of Arizona here, and because of the weather, and because of the mountains and the desert, we've always attracted an eclectic mix of people who have come here that are very community-focused, are substantive, and who care about the history and the culture of this community.

. . . Unlike Phoenix, which has gotten so big and really lost a sense of what it was as a community, and I don't think we've lost that sense.

Giffords: I wish that he had made different decisions in his campaign.

Giffords: I am a big believer that you should run on your own merits, that you should talk about your ideas, your product. What is it essentially that you are selling to the constituency? And unfortunately the negative campaigning works, but I think it's the wrong thing to do.

. . . You know, (Tim Bee has) got a beautiful family. He's worked hard to represent Southern Arizona. It's terrific having a state Senate president from Southern Arizona. But it will be over in two weeks and then we'll see what happens.

Giffords: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's not only fair, but it's the right thing to do — to compare and contrast. But he said I voted to not support the troops. Not true. I voted to fully fund the troops twice.

. . . He gets an ugly picture of Nancy Pelosi, gets an ugly picture of me. And I think there are better ways to communicate the differences than to demonize you.

Giffords: I think he'll be remembered as the worst president that this country has ever had.

Giffords: I think they're facing more accountability . . . But you look over the past eight years. We had record surpluses, we had national prestige, we were not fighting any wars at the time, we had a strong economy . . . and now we find ourselves in two wars, we've facing the largest debt and deficit ever, we've facing an economic disaster . . . It sounds so trite to say the "worst president ever," but in terms of us doing what Americans do best, which is relying on our hard work, our ingenuity, our creativity, our passion, our independence, I mean these are great things and unfortunately what the partisanship in Washington has done, and led, unfortunately, by divisive Karl Rove . . . it makes it very difficult to get a lot of things done. And I want to live in a country where our president isn't hated by 50 percent of the population. And unfortunately under Bush, and Clinton in the later years, we saw a deep divide.

Giffords: We've had hundreds of hearings, hundreds of opportunities for documentation and oversight. We have called to have Harriet Miers testify. Karl Rove to come testify. And they have basically refused . . .

The most important accountability measures are that we're not passing their bad legislation anymore. And you look at some of the most egregious characters in the Bush administration and they're gone now. Alberto Gonzales, Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld, Scooter Libby. Karl Rove, Bush's brain . . . he's gone.

Star: What might you do if you lose?

Giffords: You can never predict what happens tomorrow. You have to focus 100 percent of your effort on what you're doing today. If you love what you're doing, good things will follow. And if voters want to return me to Congress for another two years, I will continue to give this district everything I've got. If they chose not to return me, I'll find other ways to serve my community. But it's been an incredible two-year experience.