Like John McCain, Chuck Hagel is a decorated Vietnam veteran. Since Hagel is less well known than McCain, he is staking out a different piece of territory: he says the war has failed and we ought to start thinking about getting out. He has been far more critical of George Bush than any Democrat, even John Murtha. If the war is still the dominant issue in 2008, he can say "I warned you years ago" and have a lot of credibility. Also unlike McCain, he is not cozying up to the right-wing preachers, which may hurt him in the primaries but will help him in the general election. On domestic issues, he is slightly more conservative than McCain, though. He positively radiates integrity and gravitas and at 60, he looks like a president.I'm not quite sure I agree with all of it, but it does raise a few interesting points. Senator Hagel is one that is likely to be agreeable to the Christian Right (much more so that Rudy and some of the others), but as far as I know he is not in close with that movement. Senator Hagel is a social conservative but that has not been the focus of his career. Likewise, I don't think that his Iraq position can be based on political calculations, but rather personal experience from Vietnam and how he saw that Congress as having failed in their duty to ask the tough questions for the troops fighting abroad. Your thoughts?
Friday, December 01, 2006
Notes on Chuck Hagel from Electoral Vote.com
Electoral Vote.com has a list of possible 2008 candidates and brief notes about each of them. Here is what they noted about Senator Chuck Hagel (emphasis added):
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2 comments:
I think that his position on the war is not calculated to differentiate himself from Senator McCain. In fact, politically, he would have been better off in the GOP if he were more hawkish and more loyal to the administration. What we need now is not loyalty to a failed policy but loyalty to the American soldier. It would be a tough primary race, bruising in fact...a few friendships may not survive...but the country needs a Hagel candidacy.
If there is such a thing as a principled politician, Chuck Hagel is that rare creature. I have carefully listened to him for years now and he has always been clear in his thinking and steady in his opinion. He is no sycophant, nor does he craft his message to appeal to the listener. What is great is that his message is exactly what I htink the majority of Americans want to hear, and they will appreciate his straight-talk!
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