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Hagel steps to beat of different drum

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Tuesday, Mar 13, 2007 - 01:34:00 am CDT

Now that was peculiar. It’s rare that politicians hold a news conference to announce they are keeping their options open.

Sen. Chuck Hagel left people scratching their heads after his announcement Monday that he would make a decision on his political future later this year.

His objective in drawing Nebraska and national media for his press conference is unclear.

Hagel’s assessment of the national mood and the political scene had the ring of truth, however, and may hint at why he’s unwilling to close the door on a presidential bid.

Hagel described the political currents in America as “more unpredictable today than at any time in modern history.”

He asserted that the country is moving toward a “new political center of gravity.

“This movement is bigger than both parties. The need to solve problems and meet challenges is overtaking the ideological debates of the last three decades — as it should.”

Hagel spoke of America “standing at an historic crossroads” and “reaching for a national consensus of purpose.”

If the political currents are as unpredictable as Hagel thinks they are, and if the country really is searching for a new consensus, then perhaps six months from now the Republican nominating process may be fractured and confused. Some candidates may have self-destructed. Others may have been weighed by voters and found wanting.

Perhaps at that point, a long-shot candidate like Hagel could swoop in and catch a break. Hagel seems to think he could quickly put together a sizable campaign war chest, perhaps enough to fuel a short-term campaign sprint.

Hagel would face huge odds.

A new CBS/New York Times poll showed 75 percent of Americans did not know enough about Hagel to form an opinion.

To Nebraskans who know Hagel best, he seems to have at least as much presidential timber as the nine or so other Republicans eyeing the White House.

But still, if Hagel wants to be president, Monday’s news conference was an odd way to go about it.


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Greg Salyer wrote on March 13, 2007 7:15 am:
" Hagel is a very bad Republican. No one will ever vote for him. "

 PolAnalyst-Phila wrote on March 13, 2007 7:58 am:
" "75 percent of Americans did not know enough about Hagel to form an opinion." -That's interesting b/c when they do, they'll find out 2 things. On fiscal issues, he is as conservative as they get; on social issues, he meets the traditional GOP threshold but of course on the war, he is very much in the GOP's minority faction. On foreign policy as a whole, he represents the Bush I/Ford brand more than the reagan-Bush II brand. Question is, are most Republicans more passionate about their support for the President on the war or passionate about their fiscal conservative views. That's the fundamental question that will determine how Hagel fares. My prediction: He'll be the GOP's Eugene McCarthy-won't ultimately win but will present a strong challenge that ultimately weakens the eventual establishment nominee (McCain or Giuliani, etc.). "

 Dave wrote on March 13, 2007 7:59 am:
" My only concern with Hagel is he wants to grant Amnesty to 12 million illegal aliens. "

 Ummm....What?!?? wrote on March 13, 2007 8:42 am:
" Chuck has NO CREDIBILITY with Nebraskans. If “those who know him best” think he has presidential timbre, they have no idea what it takes to be a president. Simply railing against the establishment does not make a person qualified to become president. Where are Chuck’s solutions to the problems facing Americans today? Where is his plan to get us out of Iraq – a plan that won’t make the situation worse than it is today? Where are his social policies? Where are his fiscal policies? Show me ONE piece of legislation that he has sponsored and seen through to passing during his time in Washington! The man has done NOTHING! He sits on some committees and plays the typical Washington games. He has not demonstrated vision, leadership, character, integrity or fortitude. He has demonstrated the ability to stand in front of a camera and Armchair Quarterback someone else’s work. Even I know Iraq is a mess. Does that make me “…at least as much presidential timber as the nine or so other Republicans eyeing the White House?” Is that all it takes to you people? Please! "

 Mike Eustace wrote on March 13, 2007 8:46 am:
" Hagel is a doofus. He could not get elected as dog catcher on the republican ticket in my home state of Texas. How he rose to the top ranks of the republican party in your fine state is a mystery to me. "

 Marc Jennings wrote on March 13, 2007 9:25 am:
" I enjoyed reading the comments on this editorial. They tell me there are others who hold Senator Hagel in as low regard as do I. Like John McCain, Senator Hagel seems to have been fooled by the fawning attention he gets from MSM every time he holds forth on the shortcomings of his own party. Over time, he appears to have concluded that he really does have something important to say and that Americans really want to hear from him. Unfortunately for Senator Hagel, this is not the case. One day, he will eventually discover angry buffoonery has only been noteworthy because it fit the agenda of liberal media. It will have been a pathetic performance. I believe the war in Iraq is going very well. Based on months of reporting by objective people there with our troops, and recognizing the nature of our challenge, I believe every day is bringing the US more tangible results that will improve our ability to combat terror and give Iraq an opportunity to improve conditions in the Middle East. Do we as a country have the fortitude and perseverance to see the challenge through to success? I fear the answer to that question. "

 db wrote on March 13, 2007 11:17 am:
" Marc, where are you getting your information about the war in Iraq? Faux news? Of course they will report things are going great over there so Bush won't look bad no matter what. If you get your information from various sources including returning troops, you will see that the war as been getting worse day by day. The latest survey done of the troops in Iraq think things are going bad. How Iraq turns out in the long run, whether good or bad, won't have much of an effect on the middle east. There are too many players for Iraq to make a difference. Iraq needs to be left to decide their fate on their own without the US forcing any type of government or ideals on them. Only then, will there be peace in the region and the world. "

 Jon wrote on March 13, 2007 12:37 pm:
" It is time we Nebraskan's wake up--all we hear is this talk of how hagle is non-partisan--is this why he votes 95-98% GOP? That's not partisan? Please do not reelect him, he is another "look at the public opinion polls, and this is where I stand today" wait 24 hours for the next poll and I will change my stand, but still vote party lines, that is the "new" politician. "

 Des wrote on March 13, 2007 1:04 pm:
" And now we know why many conservative reporters and bloggers rate Hagel as dead last in the election straw polls. The buffoonery that marked Monday's press conference was a sorry, sad state of affairs and was an embarassment for all of Nebraska. Were Hagel to run, he wouldn't survive past the first two or three primaries. "

 GoAwayCH wrote on March 13, 2007 3:44 pm:
" As a Nebraskan, I look forward to the day that we have a President from this great state. However, Chuck is not the one I want anywhere near the house. After all his bellyaching and flipfloppin around Washington, I would have thought he was a fish trying to get back to the ocean. I can't stand him as a Senator anymore and definitely would not put up with him as a President. Thanks for NOT putting your hat in the ring. Oh and, remember, do NOT put your hat in the ring for the next Senate race either. "

 terry wrote on March 13, 2007 4:00 pm:
" What has he done? He will do and say anything to get free tv or media time and they all love it because he is anti-Bush. This is his claim to fame. He supports illegal aliens but not the people that elected him. He has no conservative values and needs to go home. "

 Iowegan wrote on March 14, 2007 1:55 am:
" I don't get how Nebraskans can go from electing Hagel with over 83% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in any statewide race in Nebraska history, to hating the man in a 4 year period. Did you not know your incumbent of 6 years in 2002? Do Nebraska Republicans have any oversite of their own senators? This guy is through-and-through a conservative with the voting record to prove it. He is a decorated veteran with a first-hand perspective on war. Maybe you guys ought to ask harder question and think a little more before filling in the oval with the R next time. Talk radio is rotting the once-sensible collective brain of Nebraskans. "

 Roger wrote on March 15, 2007 12:53 am:
" Maybe Hagel is using reverse Psychology and thinking that if he sounds and acts different enough that people will sense that he is different. However, in this case, I'm not sure that is what happened. I agree with the article he has an odd way of going about it "

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