The reality is this: If his party does poorly in congressional elections this autumn, that’s a call for change and an opening for him in the Republican presidential derby.Be sure to read the whole article. It's worth a couple of minutes.
Hagel wants to reshape — he might say restore — the Republican Party, take it back to international engagement and fiscal discipline. Back to what he describes as its moorings.
Back to Eisenhower and Reagan and the first George Bush.
Even back to Abraham Lincoln, whose presidency demonstrated the GOP was “once the party of tolerance and mutual respect.”
Today, Hagel argues for comprehensive immigration reform that welcomes newcomers and provides a pathway to earned legal status for millions now settled here illegally.
But the two-term senator has been most outspoken in parting from the Republican White House over Iraq.
Hagel also has criticized U.S. disengagement from working toward a two-state settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute and warned about the isolating impact of the Bush administration’s unilateral instincts.
“If America is looking for change, my record is pretty clear about that,” Hagel says.
...
Twelve weeks before this year’s congressional elections, Hagel is in no hurry to decide.
As presidential hopefuls pour into Iowa and New Hampshire, he’s sticking to his own timetable.
He remains stuck far down the lists of most GOP presidential oddsmakers, largely because of the perception his buddy, Arizona Sen. John McCain, crowds him out as the more celebrated independent voice.
However, that perception ignores one big difference: McCain is a strong supporter of the war in Iraq.
“A lot of this is out of my control,” Hagel says. “I’ll focus on what I can control, the kind of senator I can be.
“Whatever’s going to happen will happen. It’ll all work out.”
Friday, August 18, 2006
"Hagel awaits nation's mood"
The Lincoln Journal Star has a great article today by Don Walton: "Hagel awaits nation's mood." It is a excellent story and I highly recommend reading the whole thing. Here are some excerpts:
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2 comments:
It was a very interesting article, that's why I wanted to make mention of it up on Skippy.
I have called Senator Hagel's office and expressed my thanks for his showing some spine and a great deal of courage speaking up against this fast becoming fascist administration.
I have called my Senators, Boxer and Feinstein and relayed my hopes that they would put partisanship aside and stand up for Senator Hagel when the Republican slime/Swift Boat machines aimes it's disgusting lying PR onslaught toward Senator Hagel.
I would not vote for him for President, as there are too many things upon which I disagree with him and the Republican Party, but I do admire the hell out of him..and like I said, I have called his office and left messages telling him so.
I come from a time when you can friends and show admiration for those across the aisle without being slimed as "traitor"
Thanks for stopping by skippy the bush kangaroo, by the way. Good luck with your blog here.
It's time to make up our minds and stand up for our values. If our values are death-related (abortion, sodomy as "life style") then we should ce consisted and support the attack on Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, or whatever the Lobby tells US, since Israel has US by the balls.
On the other hand, there is Chuck Hagel, the first one to say that the US needs to regain its INDEPENDENT foreign policy (yes, as Eisenhower and Nixon had).
Pres Carter is following the same Hagelian lines, only the Dems, who do not lack some good men women and menwomen, are too involved with defending abortion and gay marriage. These two values are such top priority for them that when Hillary dared say maybe they should reconsider having abortion as unmovable main part of the Dem platform, the uproar shut her up.
So the Dems will lose the elections, lose the US, lose everything and anything, and let the Middle East soak in blood, rather than leave abortion & Sodom!
The Republicans just like blood spilled, period, preferably of already-born Muslim civilians targetted by the Israel-firsters.
Oh and when will the US be able to say "Free at last! Free at last!"
Maria from Alhambra CA
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