Senator Hagel to be at the University of Nebraska Lincoln on Wednesday

Senator Hagel will be at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln tomorrow (Wednesday) according to this report:

Sen. Chuck Hagel will be at the Nebraska Union Auditorium on Wednesday at 11 a.m. He will be signing copies of the book that UNL news-editorial professor Charlyne Berens wrote about Hagel.

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Book Signing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Focus on the 2006 elections

Chuck Hagel and his PAC (Sandhills) have been focusing on the 2006 election and working to get Republicans elected, and particularly has been focused on the U.S. Senate. These are the candidates for the U.S. Senate that Senator Hagel's PAC has given money to for this election.

National Republican Senatorial Committee $30,000

Senator Mike DeWine	$10,000
Senator Rick Santorum	$10,000
Senator Jim Talent	$10,000
Senator Conrad Burns	$10,000
Senator Lincoln Chafee	$10,000
Senator George Allen	$10,000
Senator Jon Kyl	$10,000
Representative Mark Kennedy (MN Senate Candidate)	$10,000

Mr. John Raese (WV Senate Candidate)	$5,000
Mr. Pete Ricketts (NE Senate Candidate)	$10,000

Mr. Mike McGavick (WA Senate Candidate)	$10,000
Senator Olympia Snowe	$5,000

Senator John Ensign	$5,000
The Honorable Bob Corker (TN Senate Candidate)	$5,000

The Honorable Michael Steele (MD Senate Candidate)	$10,000
The Honorable Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ Senate Candidate)	$10,000

Former Senator Bob Kerrey on Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward

“After reading Charlyne Berens’s very thorough study of Chuck Hagel, I am more than ever proud to call this fearless, outspoken, passionate, and principled man ‘friend.’ Choosing conscience over conformity, he represents the best of bipartisanship and patriotism.”

—Bob Kerrey, President of The New School and former U.S. Senator

Vote Hagel on-line

A great blog, WeThePeople, has just added Senator Chuck Hagel to its 2008 poll. Go forth and vote Hagel. Thanks to Charles Amico (who writes the blog) for the heads up.

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, 2008, We The People

Hagel book event tomorrow in Omaha

UNP Salon for New Chuck Hagel Biography

UNP Salon

Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward

October 26, 2006, 7:00–8:30 p.m.

Joslyn Castle

3902 Davenport Street

Omaha, Nebraska

Event with the author of the book, Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward, and other panelists. It is free and open to the public.

Technorati tags: Senator Chuck Hagel, Charlyne Berens

Esquire Magazine: Nine Pillars of Congress

The latest issue of Esquire Magazine listed who it saw as the nine pillars of Congress, and Chuck Hagel is at the top of their list (literally). This quote is via Don Walton in the Journal Star.

Esquire Magazine, listing Chuck Hagel as one of its nine pillars of Congress: “The kind of Republican every Republican should aspire to be. Scratch that. The kind of senator every senator should aspire to be. Independent, thoughtful and big enough to see the virtue in the arguments of his opponents. A classic, limited-government, low-tax conservative.”

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Congress, Esquire Magazine

Groups growing

The Chuck Hagel for President in 2008 Google Group has been active lately with some good discussion. Likewise, the Chuck Hagel for President 2008 facebook group has been growing quickly. Feel free to join in on these two (and other related) groups.

A New Direction for U.S. Foreign Policy

A new poll shows that most Americans want a change in U.S. foreign policy. In 2008 the citizens of the United States will still be calling for the repair of our standing in the world. Chuck Hagel is the best person to do just that.

The full article about the poll is quite interesting and enlightening. Check it out.

Seven in Ten Americans Favor Congressional Candidates Who Will Pursue a Major Change in Foreign Policy

U.S. Public Wants Less Emphasis on Military Force, More on Working Through U.N.

A Majority Supports Direct Talks with North Korea and Iran

Going into the November midterm elections, seven in ten Americans say they prefer Congressional candidates who will pursue a new approach to U.S. foreign policy. A new nationwide survey finds a large and growing majority of Americans is dissatisfied with the position of the United States in the world. Most Americans believe that U.S. policies are increasing the threat of terrorist attack and decreasing goodwill toward the United States.

The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA)/Knowledge Networks poll also finds that large majorities of Americans feel that the United States puts too much emphasis on military force and unilateral action. Most say they want their member of Congress to work to shift the emphasis of U.S. foreign policy in favor of diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and homeland security.

They also stress the need for programs to reduce the United States’ dependence on oil. When given the opportunity to reshape the foreign policy budget, respondents redistribute spending from military programs to other methods of pursuing security.

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, 2008 Election, Foreign Policy

Hagel '08 Merchandise from around the Web

It's been a while since I last posted about where you can find Chuck Hagel for President merchandise from various sites on the internet. Here are some of them:

http://www.republicansource.com/hagel.htm
http://www.cafepress.com/politicalpickle/1531463
http://www.cafepress.com/mypresident2008/749233

There is a more complete listing from an older post here.

Interesting side note

There was a post at Cheap Tricks which had an entertaining observation:

"Chuck Hagel is a badass"

No context in that post for it, just an observation.

Senator Hagel's Upcoming Talk in New York

Chuck Hagel will be speaking at the Oxonian Society in Manhattan on October 26, 2006 from 8 to 9 A.M.

Senator Chuck Hagel, is a leading senator and political maverick. He is considered to be one of the top contenders for the Republican Party’s nomination for the President of the United States for the 2008 election.

For more details, click here. The last day to register is 10/24/2006.

"The Next President of the United States"

Here is an interesting take on the 2008 Presidential election titled "The Next President of the United States." It's from last year, but the reasoning is quite solid.

The American people are rejecting the Bush Administration by ever-increasing percentages. That may be good news -- for the GOP. As leading Democrats stumble toward a mythical "center" in search of votes, one smart Senator is showing how a conservative Republican can win in '08. Meet the next President of the United States: Chuck Hagel.

Call it Bush Fatigue, and it's driven by two factors. The first is a widespread perception that Iraq was a mistake. Only 44% of Americans think we did the right thing by invading, yet leading Democrats still refuse to argue against the rationale for war. The second is the growing understanding that the Administration is rife with incompetence and cronyism. Democrats are waiting for this issue to turn voters their way, but incompetence and cronyism are behaviors, not policy positions. A candidate from either party can claim he'll do better.

Which brings us to Chuck Hagel. A staunch conservative, he's a media-savvy former broadcaster, a decorated Vietnam veteran with an entrepreneurial background. Despite his right-wing background and his past loyalty to the Bush crowd, he's been bashing their management of the war for some time now. He never hesitates to point out to reporters that this makes him a "maverick." And, as a former businessman, he can present himself as the honest and competent "CEO President" we were promised with Bush.

Following Bill Clinton's lead, none of the top Democratic candidates seem to be brave and honest enough to say what the American people already know: the war was a mistake sold on lies. Faced with two candidates who say that the only problem with Iraq is poor management, who are the voters going to trust: the armchair quarterback or the decorated veteran? And who inspires more confidence on the competence question: the ex-CEO "straight-shooter" with a logically consistent position, or the career politician from the "I-voted-for-it-before-I ..." crowd?

Chuck Hagel's conservative enough to make it through the reactionary hazing of the GOP primaries, yet able to stake out a position as an anti-Bush. The Democrats seem to be deluding themselves again into thinking that events will do for them what they can't do for themselves. While they wait expectantly, one Republican senator is walking down the road to the White House.

If Hagel's the Ghost of Presidents Future, Democrats may echo Ebenezer Scrooge's question: "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?" The answer's in their hands.

What are your thoughts on this blog post by R.J. Eskow?
Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, 2008 Election, The Next President of the United States

Hagel ad for Ricketts

Here is an ad featuring Chuck Hagel supporting Pete Ricketts for Senate.

Just another way Chuck Hagel has been working to keep the Republican party in control of the Senate.

Students for Hagel

There is a new blog in the ongoing Draft Hagel Movement. Students for Hagel announces that it is seeking contributors in its opening post early this month:

Students for Hagel is now forming. If you are a student and would like to help out in the writing of this blog, or would just like to stay informed of what we are doing, email or post a comment. We are particularly interested in getting people from around the country involved that are already involved in college (or high school) Republican groups.

Go and check it out.

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Students for Hagel, Draft Hagel Movement

"Sgt. Hagel back in Saigon on 60th birthday"

Don Walton has another good article in the Lincoln Journal Star regarding Senator Hagel. The following are excepts from it.

Thirty-eight years ago, Chuck Hagel, 21, and his brother, Tom, fought in house-to-house combat in the Cholon district of Saigon during the Tet Offensive.

Last week, on his 60th birthday, Hagel returned to the scene of the battle in early 1968. And almost everything has changed.

Once a rough and poor neighborhood infested by Viet Cong, the area now is an upscale sector of the city, with high-rise apartments and shops.

The Army sergeant from Nebraska who was twice wounded later in 1968 — along with his brother both times — now is a U.S. senator serving his second term.

...
Hagel was in Vietnam last week as part of an Asian tour that also took him to Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. His itinerary happened to place him in Ho Chi Minh City on his birthday.

Thirty-eight years ago, he said, “I would have thought that would be the last place I would find myself on my 60th birthday.”
...

“It reminds us how important it is to understand history and reflect on the historic dynamics and consequences of a foreign policy decision, especially one to take a nation to war,” Hagel said.

“We need to always be mindful of unintended consequences, the uncontrollables.

“Was it worth it? Was there a better way, an alternative? It’s easy to get into war, not very easy to get out of it. We’re living through that again in Iraq.”

Today, Hagel said, “the strongest argument we hear is we can’t leave Iraq. It would make a mockery of the loss of lives. The same arguments were made about Vietnam. Those reflections poured over me as I walked the streets of Saigon.”

Check out the full article here.

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Don Walton, Vietnam

New GOP Bloggers 2008 Straw Poll

GOP Bloggers has their 2008 Primary Straw Poll out for October. Go and vote Hagel!

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Straw Poll, Republican

A Comment about Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward

A comment about the Hagel biography (available from Amazon at the right side of this page):

“In writing the first full-dress biography of Senator Chuck Hagel, Charlyne Berens has illuminated the experiences of a major contemporary public figure. Her honest and readable account of Hagel's personal life and career in politics is certain to be the definitive work on the subject.”

—Ross K. Baker, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University

Hagel finishes strong in another on-line poll

The on-line 2008 Republican Presidential poll at Politics Central has ended, with Chuck Hagel finishing a close second with 19% of the votes. Senator Hagel was neck and neck for the lead at the end.

Here were the final results:
(R)John McCain 20%
(R)Chuck Hagel 19%
(R)Rudolph Giuliani 13%
(R)George Allen 8%
(R)Mitt Romney 5%
(R)Condi Rice 5%
(R)Sam Brownback 4%
(R)Mike Huckabee 4%
(R)Newt Gingrich 3%
(R)Bill Frist 3%
(R)George Pataki 1%
None of The Above 16%

Book review - Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward

A comment about the Hagel biography (available from Amazon at the right side of this page):

“Charlyne Berens’s terrific biography brings Chuck Hagel’s straight-shooting, courageous character to life. The Senator is one of a kind on Capitol Hill, and Berens’s book leaves the reader waiting to witness the next chapter in Hagel’s remarkable political career.”

—John D. Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress and Chief of Staff to former President Bill Clinton

Results of the September poll at The Next Prez

Chuck Hagel has finished 5th in The Next Prez's September Republican poll.

Be sure to visit The Next Prez in order to vote for Chuck Hagel in the October poll so that we can improve his showing.

University of Nebraska Press Salon for New Chuck Hagel Biography

The University of Nebraska Press is holding an event about the new Chuck Hagel biography, Chuck Hagel: Moving Forward. The event is in Omaha, NE on Thursday, October 26th from 7-8:30 PM. It is free and open to the public.



Technorati tags: Senator Chuck Hagel, Charlyne Berens

Happy Birthday to Senator Hagel

Today is Chuck Hagel's 60th birthday, so send him a birthday message.

hagel@sandhillspac.com
Senate Web Contact Form

Technorati tags: Chuck Hagel, Birthday

"Hagel Announces Lincoln Couple as Adoption Angels"

Here is a press release from Chuck Hagel's Senate office:

Hagel Announces Lincoln Couple as Adoption Angels

September 20th, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) announced today that Lance and Amy McCord of Lincoln, Nebraska are recipients of the 2006 Angels in Adoption award. Every year, the Angels in Adoption program allows members of Congress to recognize and honor those who have been involved in adoption. Hagel recommended the McCords to be the Nebraska recipients for 2006.

“Adoption is an amazing gift of love. The McCord family has opened their home and hearts to children in need of a loving family and has shown others across the country the importance of adoption. The Angels in Adoption award allows Congress to recognize those who are ‘real-life angels.’ The McCords are ‘real-life angels’,” Hagel said.

The McCords have adopted their three children, Wesley, Anna and Jackson. The McCords have also provided “cradle care” for 16 newborns ranging in age from a week to a month old while adoption proceedings were pending. Lance worked at The People’s City Mission in Lincoln for 14 years and is now serving as a Nebraska Corrections Officer at the Lincoln Correction Center. Amy is the Activities Director at the Clark Jeary Retirement Center in Lincoln and previously served as the “Adoption Specialist” for the Lincoln Crisis Pregnancy Center.

“We are humbled and honored to be recognized among many others who have given of themselves in foster care and adoption. Every child deserves a loving family and if we can help that happen we are blessed. We are very thankful for the privilege of having children through adoption,” the McCords said.

The eighth annual congressional Angels in Adoption awards ceremony is being held today in Washington, D.C.

Hagel trip to Asia

Senator Hagel is headed on a trip to multiple Asian nations today. Here is the press release from his Senate Website.

September 28th, 2006 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) will travel to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia October 2-11. Hagel will meet with Nebraska troops stationed in South Korea, as well as meet with government, business and other leaders in each country. The purpose of Hagel’s trip will be to discuss regional security, Asia’s economic outlook, and U.S. bilateral relations.

“Our relationships and alliances in Asia are historic, and continue to be critically important to U.S. strategic interests. The U.S. will be affected for years to come by the security, stability and economic development in this region. I look forward to discussing these and other common interests with Asian government and outside leaders, as well as meeting with Nebraska troops serving in the region,” Hagel said.

It is this sort of focus on foreign policy, relationship building, and outlook that the U.S. needs more of today.

Facebook Chuck Hagel Group

In our endeavor to build a strong grassroots network for a Chuck Hagel run for President, a Chuck Hagel group has been formed on Facebook. To find it, go to Elections, then search for Hagel in campaign issues. If you're on Facebook go and join it.

Technorati tags: Senator Chuck Hagel, Facebook, 2008 Election