For those who want to catch the announcement live...

The Leavenworth Street blog has the details on how to catch Chuck Hagel's annoucement live on Monday:

For those of you who can’t wait for the online news updates to Chuck Hagel’s 10:00 AM CDT Monday “announcement”, three of the local Omaha TV stations will provide streaming video of the event live on their websites.
They are:
WOWT.com
Action3news.com
KETV.com

In addition, you can listen to the announcement on your computer as well via radio stations KFAB or KKAR’s websites.

I know what I'll be doing Monday morning.

Guest post - Chuck Hagel: A brief history as I recall

This evening we have a guest post by Mary Wittler.

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Chuck Hagel

Yesterday, the local news was making a big todo about the Chuck Hagel announcement coming on Monday from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. And rightly so. I remember the last time one of Nebraska's own made a run for the top job. Bob Kerrey created a lot buzz and a pretty big stir when he threw his hat in the ring for a relatively short run. I don't expect that to be the case this time around. This one's gonna be interesting. I can attest to that because I've been watching Senator Hagel from the farmhouse for quite a while now.

A brief history as I recall.

Before Chuck Hagel came into the picture, his senate seat was held by Democratic Senator James Exon. James Exon was a much beloved and highly regarded Nebraska politician having won five consecutive state elections and never having lost. He was a popular two term governor before taking on the Senate. He retired from politics in 1997 at the age of 76. Enter Ben Nelson. Another very popular two term Democratic governor and odds on favorite to succeed Senator Exon. Also enter Don Stenberg, a very popular Attorney General, and Republican party golden boy.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the showdown between Nelson and Stenberg as if it were a sure thing. It was set up to be a knock down drag out. The Democrats held that seat for decades even through the Reagan years and the Republicans wanted it badly. Out of the blue, and I mean that like..."Where the heck did he come from and who is this guy?"...along comes Chuck Hagel. Everyone's first response to the plain spoken man from North Platte was one of writing him off as an "also ran".

Being from North Platte which is in the panhandle country of Nebraska is like being from the Upper Peninsula if you are a Michigander. There is Omaha and Lincoln and their surrounding areas...and then there is the whole rest of the state. The Omaha/Lincoln crowd pretty much run the show in Nebraska.

Well, the plain spoken man campaigned tirelessly. He talked to people not at them. He sounded like them. And what he said, made sense to them. There was no lawyer speak, or polished phrasing. He kept it simple. Think John Wayne as opposed to Dick Powell. That was the difference between Chuck Hagel and Don Stenberg. Add to that the times. The prevailing thought was that there were already too many lawyers in Washington. The voters responded. Chuck Hagel won the primary. Eyebrows were raised. No one saw this coming...but they should have, and would have if they had been paying attention. They had just "assumed", and Stenberg grossly underestimated not only Hagel, but the voters. Ben Nelson wasn't about to make the same mistake.

The election of 1996 was a humdinger. It got heated in a big way. The two men obviously didn't have much use for each other, and the feelings that were born out of that election continue to this day. Remember those Pace Picante sauce commercials? I remember that Ben Nelson used them to try and cast aspertions on the fact that Chuck Hagel had left Nebraska to enter big business...and that his values were no longer Nebraska values, but rather from New York City.....that's NEW YORK CITY! Still cracks me up.

However, Chuck Hagel's base served him well. As a child his family had moved several times all around Nebraska. He knew LOTS of people and those people all vouched for his Nebraska values. Not only that, Chuck Hagel was a bonafide decorated army veteran, having served as a grunt during Vietnam. Those were some huge props that served him well with the military folks. In addition, he had graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha...not the Lincoln school. The Omaha college was the working mans school. There were no on site dormitorys. It was not a frat school, or a party school. This was a school were you went to get the degree that would help you move up in the world.

Again, Chuck Hagel spoke to the people and addressed the issues that were their issues. His campaign message was that he wasn't trying to get elected to serve himself, he was trying to get elected to be their voice. And they believed him and believed in him. And that's why Chuck Hagel got elected and Ben Nelson didn't. Voting machines aside...the exit polls verified that the people thought that Chuck Hagel represented Nebraska in more ways than one.

So on Monday, when Chuch Hagel makes his announcement whatever it is (I'm bettting he'll go the exploratory committee route) from the University of Nebraska at Omaha....he starts out on this journey with the same foot and the same message. That message is that I am one of the common folk, who started out with nothing, served my country when my country called, went to school to get my degree right here at this school not some Ivy league elite school, worked hard, started a family, and made some money the old fashioned way. I care about all the things you care about especially this debacle in Iraq...because I am just like you. Let me be your voice.

If you think there aren't voters that are going to respond to that...think again. Oh and one more thing...in Nebraska Chuck Hagel is even more popular with Democrats than he is with Republicans. Try figuring that one out.

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Originally posted yesterday at the author's Yahoo360 blog.

Republican Leadership Council

Check out the new Republican Leadership Council's website if you have a moment today. Be sure to vote Hagel in their 2008 poll while you're there.

Hagel to announce plans on Monday

The end of the wait in is in sight! Chuck Hagel will annouce his future plans on Monday morning. Now if we only knew what that was....

Hagel to Hold News Conference Regarding His Future Plans
U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel will hold a news conference Monday, March 12, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. CST. The news conference will be held in Bootstrapper Memorial Hall at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s William H. and Dorothy Thompson Alumni Center.

You can read about it in the Omaha World-Herald as well.

Esquire Magazine's profile of Chuck Hagel

Esquire Magazine has a profile of Chuck Hagel for their upcoming April issue. Be sure to check out the full article.

"Chuck Hagel's historic moment, and what it means for a declining presidency."

The article give an excellent look into the person of Chuck Hagel, giving an excellent background on his family, experience in Vietnam, and how he came to where he is now. There's also some nice photos in the piece as well.

"Is Hagel The Credible Conservative Candidate?"

Cyclone Conservatives has a great post titled "Is Hagel The Credible Conservative Candidate?"

There seems to be a lot of media discussion lately claiming that the GOP has not yet found a top tier conservative candidate to rally around yet.
...

So, there is definitely no ideal candidate out there...YET.

And so that brings into the equation Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. If conservatives can be calmed about his dovish tendencies toward Iraq, then Hagel might be the most well-known conservative in the race.

Recently, the National Journal released their 2006 liberal/conservative scores for Senators and Congressmen. After taking into account votes based on economic, social, and foreign policy; a formula is created and the votes are plugged in.

The Result? Of the 2008 Presidential aspirants already in the race or names that are floated, Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is the most conservative U.S. Senator. He just outflanks Brownback by a little bit.

Sure, Hagel bucks the President on foreign policy; but on most other issues, he totes the party line better than any of the other Senators in the race.

I, for one, would like to see Hagel get into the race. I've met Senator Hagel and heard him lecture at Iowa State in 2005. He's a very intelligent man who would bring a lot to the foreign policy debate and future of the party.
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I hope Hagel makes a decision soon because he quite possibly could be the credible credentialed conservative candidate to watch.

Vote in on-line polls

Don't forget to head out and vote Hagel in on-line 2008 pollls. Here are a couple:

Cyclone Conservatives
Oval Office 2008

Please let me know of others going on around the web (email me or post as a comment).

Press release on the National Guard

Chuck Hagel's Senate office released this press release Thursday:

Hagel Statement on Congressional Commission on National Guard and Reserve’s Report that 90 Percent of Army National Guard Units are rated “not ready”

March 1st, 2007 -
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) released the following statement today regarding a report published by the Congressional Commission on the National Guard and Reserve’s Report that concluded 90 percent of Army National Guard Units are rated “not ready.” The report details the Guard’s struggles with equipment, recruitment and retention, training and funding. The Commission estimates that the National Guard would require $38 billion for equipment to restore domestic Army and Air units to full readiness:

“This report serves as a clear indication of the damage we have done to the National Guard over the last four years. As I have said, we are stretching the National Guard beyond the breaking point. It is unacceptable to ask the National Guard to take on missions for which we have not prepared or equipped them. The report’s recommendations should be seriously considered and the Administration and Congress must act now to fix these problems,” Hagel said.

The International Association of Firefighters

According to Hotline, "It's the first bipartisan forum with the major '08 presidential candidates." On March 14th The International Association of Firefighters will be having an annual meeting and Chuck Hagel will be there to speak (he's scheduled for 1pm). For the full story check out the short piece at Hotline on Call.

Your reasons for a Hagel Presidency (Part 8)

Josh (from Kansas City, MO) has given his answer to our question: "Why do you want Chuck Hagel to be our next President?"

Chuck Hagel represents the utopian Republican right now. He's firm on Repubican morals, and accountability, but he's also willing to hold firm to his beliefs that America can do better in the area of Foreign Policy. No one is satisfied with the current situation in Iraq. What happened in the past is past. Chuck Hagel looks to the future. Instead of the typical Congressman's response of "If we knew then what we know now," Chuck has come up with a viable workable, and more importantly a bi-partisan solution. What more could you ask for? He's a great choice, because he truly represents Republican values, and is a viable option for those moderate Republicans and Independents that aren't yet willing to concede the White House to the Democrats. I hope that Chuck decides to run, if so it's going to be up to us to help him out, and I'm willing to take that step.

Thanks, Josh!

Two articles making the case for Hagel

There are two articles out today making the case that Chuck Hagel is the right choice for the Republicans. They both note (as I have heard many times) that Republicans are not excited about the 2008 field.

The first is "Long-Shot Hagel May Be Republican's Best Bet" by Margaret Carlson. Here are some excerpts.

With no Secretariat in the stable, there's room for a dark horse. Galloping in is Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel.
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If party activists could see past his sharp criticism of Bush's foreign policy, they would like his life story. Hagel's father died when he was a teenager, and young Chuck helped look after the other children and worked as a carhop at a hamburger joint. He and his younger brother joined the infantry and nearly died in Vietnam. He worked several jobs before starting a hugely successful cell-phone company. It made him a millionaire.
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Although he's often referred to as McCain without the attitude, Hagel is hardly an economic populist. He is an ardent tax cutter and fiscal conservative who votes with Bush, as he reminds me, more than 90 percent of the time.

He's not an evangelical (he's Episcopalian), but they could hardly fault his voting record, which garners a pro-family score of 100 from the Christian Coalition.
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He's not the only Republican to turn against Bush on the war, just the one who most annoys the White House.
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It's hard to make smears like ``you're emboldening the enemy'' and ``sending the wrong message to the troops'' stick to Hagel, who still carries shrapnel and burn scars from pulling his brother to safety in Vietnam.

The second piece is "Hagel's the only real right stuff" by Brett Arends.

Conservatives should stop complaining about their choices for president. They already have a serious candidate who is to the right of Ronald Reagan - and who could actually win a general election.
Despite his current liberal vogue over the Iraq war, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has a 100 percent lifetime rating from the Christian Coalition. One hundred percent. He has a 0 percent rating from pro-choice pressure groups. He has a right-wing record right down the line, from gun rights to gay marriage to ANWAR petroleum drilling to tax cuts. He even opposed the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, which President Bush signed.

He’s also an expert on foreign relations and intelligence. Oh yes, and he’s a decorated veteran who served his country in Vietnam.
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The irony is that Hagel is the sort of conservative candidate who could win over a lot of independents in a general election, even if they may not agree with him on some issues.

Why?
The man has moxie - enough to stand up to the Bush administration in 2005, when even many Democrats were still hiding in their bunker. He has been proven correct on the handling of postwar Iraq. He has the foreign policy experience, through his work on non-governmental organizations and on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees. And finally, Hagel’s conservative principles even extend to a burning issue for independents: the Constitution.
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Grassroots conservatives have to ask themselves a simple question: Are they really conservatives or just loyalists to the party leadership?

Video: Hagel on the '08 race

Senator Hagel talked about the 2008 race with a local news station in Nebraska and you can watch the video on their website. They discuss the blogs encouraging him to run (such as this one) and the grassroots movement in the clip.