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McConnell visit for Hagel sends message

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Apr 28, 2007 - 12:44:55 am CDT

The message is the messenger.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will headline two fundraising events for Sen. Chuck Hagel in Omaha next month.

Word of McConnell’s appearances on behalf of Hagel followed Wednesday’s report that an all-star list of Omaha corporate leaders will join Gov. Dave Heineman in co-hosting a six-figure Hagel fund-raising dinner.

Story Photo
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, second from right, with Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Az., left to right, John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, with reporters after a briefing from Army General David Petraeus on Capitol Hill about the latest on the war in Iraq, Wednesday in Washington. (AP)

As the leader selected by Republicans in the Senate, McConnell represents the core of his party and serves as one of the leading spokesmen for its conservative base.

The four-term Kentucky senator is a strong supporter of President Bush and his policies in Iraq. 

The message his Nebraska trip appears designed to deliver is that Hagel, despite his strong opposition to Iraq war policies and his criticism of the president, is still a member of the team.

It’s the second counter-punch delivered by the Hagel campaign since Attorney General Jon Bruning  revealed he’s preparing to challenge the senator in the 2008 GOP Senate primary election.

Earlier this week, Bruning released results of a poll conducted by his campaign that showed him leading Hagel by 9 percentage points. Hagel’s political director, Kevin Chapman, dismissed the results as not credible.

Bruning has attacked Hagel for supporting legislation calling for phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and for criticizing Bush.

Meanwhile, the Hagel for Senate campaign added a couple of big names to its list of co-hosts for the May 18 dinner.

Among them was Chuck Durham, former chairman and CEO of HDR, Inc.

Not previously reported among the hosts was Dan Neary, chairman and CEO of Mutual of Omaha.

Participants will be asked to contribute between $1,000 and the federal maximum of $4,600 per individual.

A $100-per-person reception will be held on the same day.

Neither Hagel nor Bruning has entered the Senate race, but both are positioning themselves as potential candidates.

If he runs, Hagel would be seeking his third term.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.


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whatever wrote on April 28, 2007 3:08 am:
" Well, hate to say it again. Hagel has STRONG support for Senate. Powerful forces are lining up for the 2008 election. You can go home now Bruning. "

 Jody P. wrote on April 28, 2007 9:46 am:
" How strange! The Senate Republican leader is going to headline fundraisers for someone the local right-wing experts tell us is a Democrat? The only conclusion is that someone - either the Senate Republican leader, or the local right-wing experts - doesn't have the foggiest notion of what it means to be a Republican. I report, you decide. "

 tortis wrote on April 28, 2007 11:26 am:
" Well, well, will this do any good or is this just a show of the strong arm ineffective republican base that does not have a clue as to what is really going on here. Mr. Hagel is more of wolf in sheeps clothing than a great candidate for the senate. If he runs unopposed in the primary and/or wins in any way, I will vote for the democrat in the general election no matter who it is. Hagel just has too much balony to be on the side of anything I would support. Of course I would hope he runs for President and wins as he then would find out what responsibility means. God help us. "

 Chris wrote on April 28, 2007 11:35 am:
" Hagel isn't worried about Bruning's poll numbers but all of a sudden he's trying to line up big contributors and is bringing the Senate Republican Leader to Nebraska? Hmmmm...coincidence I'm sure. Just goes to show me we need someone who understands regular Nebraskans, not Washington insiders to represent us. Bruning seems like the only guy willing to hold Hagel accountable. "

 Military Veteran wrote on April 28, 2007 1:54 pm:
" Senator Hagel has absolutely been supportive of the military and veterans' issues. For those doubters, chech his record. Other than the war, he is also has one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate. He merely has pointed out flaws in the management of this war. Something a senator should do. This war has been mismanaged and the hardcore pro-war hawks such as VP Cheney somehow managed to continously get deferrments when they were of age to serve. Too often that tends to be true among the activist pro-war Republicans. Jon Bruning would also never wear a uniform but sure is ready to send other people and their sons and daughters to this war. I would suggest that Mr Bruning try to play attorney for a while and do a lot less grandstanding for the media. "

 interesting wrote on April 28, 2007 6:47 pm:
" When other "big shots" come to town/state, we often complain and say we don't want Washington telling us what to believe or how to vote. Now that Chuckie is bringing, we are supposed to bow to the "big shots" from Washington and conclude they are correct. Just because Sen. Hagel has the power of Washington as his disposal does NOT mean he is correct of that we want him serving in the senate any longer. I've never needed someone from "the party" or from Washington telling me what is best for me. Usually I believe I need less from Washington and more from the local people speaking. That continues to be true. Save the taxpayes money, stay in Washington or whatever state you are coming from because I will decide on my own that Sen. Hagel needs my help for him to retire now! "

 politics as usual wrote on April 28, 2007 6:50 pm:
" Nice! Time for the good ole boys to come to town and slap the other good ole boys on the back. Enough is enough! It is time for change. We don't need Washington coming telling us what to do or whom to support. This is just another reason to say, "No" to Chuck. "

 can't do it on his own wrote on April 28, 2007 6:53 pm:
" What? Can't the senator from Nebraska get the job done on his own? He has to bring in the big boys from back east to help him out? Is he afraid of what Nebraska thinks of him and what we are going to do at the next election? Get real Nebraska. We have never needed others from other places telling us how to vote or what to think and we don't need them now. Vote NO for Sen. Hagel. "

 whatever wrote on April 29, 2007 12:27 am:
" For the Hagel detractors listen carefully. Hagel has very powerful support. The Johanns and Heineman machinary will line up behind Hagel. Most big time Republicans in this state WILL support Hagel. The National Party WILL support Hagel. In the unlikely event Bruning defeats Hagel, then Bruning may be embraced, unless he sides with conservative christian groups. But if Bruning fights a "bloody battle" with Hagel and divides the party, Bruning will NEVER be elected to any office EVER again. This was a shot across the bow to Bruning to back down if he has any interest in any future political office in this state. This isn't an issue of Hagel running scared, this is an issue of the Republican Party telling a potential intra party rival to back down and to not weaken a safe Republican senate seat because the Hagel seat is a SAFE seat. Rest assured that whatever money Bruning is looking for to finance a campaign is rapidly drying up, he ain't no Pete Ricketts. Look for Bruning to back away from the Senate race and have some interesting things to say over the next couple of weeks. You read it here first folks. Think about this too folks. McCain, Rudy and Mitt are the acknowledged front runners for the Republican Party. ALL of them are on record supporting pro-choice and marriage for gays. ALL of them have informal support from our beloved "conservative" president. I ask you true fellow conservatives and christians, Just what has the Republican Party done for you lately that the Democrats haven't already done or supported? Don't delude yourself that either of these parties represent conservative or christian values. "

 Bucco-Mert Heretic wrote on April 29, 2007 11:34 am:
" Well, well... Talk of appeasement! By the REPUBS,even!! They must be scared to death that Hagel will go Independent sith Dem. Jim Webb and furhter draw mods and non-neoconservatives from the Repub candidate in the Presidential election. Stroke Chucky to keep him as a 95% member in the Senate rather than have himas worse than a movie nightmare in 2008. Heineman knows which way the pork rolls. Better to have Maverick Chucky, the Aggravation of the Conservative Right, in the Senate with his SENIORITY than have a white elephant of the national 38 per centers, whose stronger base is isolated here in Nebraska,but would still be part of the big victims of the DEM electoral tornado in 2008. "

 Bucco-Mert Heretic wrote on April 29, 2007 11:53 am:
" Well, well, well... Talk about appeasement!! The otherwise hardstance Repubs!!! It looks like they're gonn kiss Chucky's derrier, if they don't want an Evil Chucky nightmare of him running in 2008 as an Independent with Jim Webb of Virginia further cutting into the moderate and non-neoconservative voters who'd MIGHT "stay the course" with the Repub's predictable status quo candidate. Chucky has the Repubs by the short hairs, even though the conservative partisans here in Nebraska believe in the right-slanted rhetoric of the local and mass media propagandist of so-called conservative ideology. Heineman is no fool. He knows how the pork flows to Nebraska and out of Nebraska-by exports. Better to keep the archconservatives bette noir, Chucky, in the Senate with his SENIORITY and good collegial will, than send the ego choice of the activists and rhetoriticians as the white elephant neocon in a sea of Dems after their expected electoral sunami coming in 2008. Rush, et al. may play well here, but 65%-70% of the people will be moving-on in 2008 from the lemming foreign policy course of BushCo.. Chucky Hagel is the safe fall-back position for Nebraska's MERCANTILE interests in the Senate. Bucco http://groups.yahoo.com/group/polemicistmailbox "

 Abe Lincoln wrote on May 3, 2007 8:59 am:
" It's incredible. Here we have a Republican Senator who voted to send American troops into battle and who then works in Washington to undermine the troops and to embolden the troops. I can't believe that McConnell is aiding and abetting a traitor to the American troops. "

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