Press Release: "Hagel Reintroduces Bill to Aid Military Families"

Chuck Hagel's Senate Office released this press release this week:

Hagel Reintroduces Bill to Aid Military Families

March 20th, 2007 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) joined Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) today in reintroducing the “Military Retiree Survivor Benefit Equity Act.” This legislation would allow qualifying surviving spouses of military service members to receive survivor annuities—without being offset—from both the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Department of Defense.

“America owes a great debt of gratitude to our professional service members. It is important to remember that years of devoted service also affects not only service members, but their families. This legislation will ensure that surviving military spouses are guaranteed access to the benefits that were earned and purchased by the service of their loved one,” Hagel said.

Currently, when a retired service member passes away from a service-related disability, the surviving spouse may be eligible to receive 1) Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) paid by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and 2) Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) which is paid by the Department of Defense. Under current law, DIC payments to surviving spouses are deducted from their SBP payments. Therefore, most surviving spouses of disabled military retirees find that their DIC payments cancel out their SBP benefits. This legislation would allow surviving spouses who qualify for both to receive full DIC and SBP payments.

Hagel and Bill Nelson introduced similar legislation in the 109th Congress.

Hagel to be on This Week on Sunday

Senator Hagel will be on This Week (on ABC) this Sunday. Check your local listings for time and channel.

Hagel on the issues - EDUCATION

Today's topic is education. The information comes from his new website.

EDUCATION

• Senator Hagel has led the effort in the Senate to reduce the 30-year-old unfunded education mandate on our local schools by increasing funds for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
• Senator Hagel has worked to increase funding to support Nebraska's community colleges.
• Senator Hagel voted against No Child Left Behind because it expands the role of the federal government in education and undermines local and state control of education.

Bonus post for today - "Dark Horse Hagel"

If you have a minute check out "Dark Horse Hagel".

Hagel on the issues - AGRICULTURE

Once again, the information comes from his new webite.

AGRICULTURE

• Senator Hagel has worked to pass $4 billion in drought disaster assistance through a responsible and accountable legislative process in the Senate this year.
• In July, Senator Hagel toured drought-stricken counties around Nebraska.
• Senator Hagel worked with the Japanese government to re-open the multi-billion dollar Japanese market to U.S. beef.

Hagel on the issues - TAXES

Here is part three in the series. The information comes from his new website.

TAXES

• Senator Hagel supported the President's tax cut initiatives in 2001 and 2003 and supports making them permanent.
• Senator Hagel has co-sponsored legislation for 10 years that would eliminate the estate tax.

Hagel on the issues - ENERGY

Part two of my series on Chuck Hagel on the issues. The information comes from his new website.

ENERGY

• Senator Hagel has supported environmentally responsible energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
• Senator Hagel has introduced legislation in the Senate to require that all gasoline contain 10% ethanol by 2010, and supports producing 25% of America's energy from renewable resources by 2025.
• Senator Hagel has supported the increased use of nuclear power, off-shore drilling, and a wider and deeper portfolio of energy resources.

Hagel on the issues - MILITARY

This week begins a series on Chuck Hagel on the issues. The information comes from his new website.

MILITARY

• Senator Hagel led the fight to increase the size of the U.S. Army and Marines.
• Senator Hagel sponsored legislation to increase the military death benefit and eliminate the fee charged to members of the American military to sign up for the Montgomery G.I. Bill.

"President Chuck Hagel?"

Check out a blog post, "President Chuck Hagel?" by Joe Leonardi. He makes some very good points and leads off with two great quotes. Thanks to mia for sharing it.

“Hagel is criticized for what many see as grandstanding on the Iraq war, but his critique of the problems we face there has been more right than wrong since our forces landed there.” “He may be right or wrong on Iraq, but no one can question his base conservatism or his devotion to a strong United States.”
American Conservative Union Chairman David A. Keene, quote from the Washington Times

“Beware those who cry for war the loudest, for they are those who have never known the horrors of combat.”
Marine Warrant Officer I served with.

"Hagel has what it takes: Integrity"

Here's a nice piece from Daniel Klimek that was in The Depaulia a while back.

Hagel has what it takes: Integrity
by Daniel Klimek
Staff Writer

After Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made her appearance before a bipartisan Senate committee last week, a day after George Bush presented his idiotic plan for war escalation in a nationally televised address, she ended up experiencing a lot of resistance in her attempts to purvey the president's newest foreign policy wishes.

The ubiquitous resistance against a plan that would send over 20,000 more American lives to the contemporary, war-infected tragedy that is Iraq was fervently dismantled, with the greatest opposition produced by no one other than fellow Republican Chuck Hagel.

An independent-thinking Maverick Senator from Nebraska, Hagel is one of those rare creatures in the American political world: an individualist who refuses to be corrupted by the blindness of partisanship in order to influence decision-making efforts.

Never one to shy away from criticizing his own party when necessary, Hagel once famously remarked, "I took an oath of office to the Constitution. I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president."

That is why when one of the president's top officials made an appearance before him, Hagel did not fail to disappoint with his natural rhetoric, blasting away at an ill-fated policy and at the pawn sent to sell it.

"To ask our young men and women to sacrifice their lives, to be put in the middle of a civil war, is wrong," Hagel told Rice. "It's, first of all, in my opinion, morally wrong. It's tactically, strategically, militarily wrong."

Hagel, a decorated Vietnam Veteran who (unlike certain Republican leaders) knows what war means firsthand, went on to say, "Some of us remember 1970, Madam Secretary, and that was Cambodia, when our government lied to the American people. I happen to know something about that, as do some on this committee."

The two-time Purple Heart winner continued: "So Madam Secretary, when you set in motion the kind of policy the president is talking about here, it's very, very dangerous." Then, in one of those poignant moments that sees integrity challenging the authoritarian forces of power, Hagel followed with a set of words that would be repeated all week throughout the national networks around the country.

"As a matter of fact, I have to say, Madam Secretary, that I think this speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out. I will resist it."

Seldom does one hear the cheers of public applause at an American Congressional hearing televised on C-SPAN. But the moment could not have come at a more urgent time. Historically, Hagel's dissidence has caused him undeserving criticism. Members of his own party have gone as far as to comparing him to a Democrat. Which is not fair for such a comparison defames the good senator.

Far from a Democrat, Hagel's political liberalism is balanced with the proper amount of social conservatism. Unlike the ideological hypocrites on the Left who advocate the end to killing abroad in the name of peace, yet possess absolutely no shame in supporting similarly heinous actions on the domestic front in the name of "choice," Hagel's record shows a perfect recognition for the dignity of human life, opposing various forms of violence. When it comes to the great abortion debate, the senator shows equal respect for both mother and child with his pro-life stance. The Christian Coalition has given him a rating of 100%, representing a pro-family voting record.

Without question a prominent name considered for the 2008 Presidential Race, Hagel's supporters have developed a grassroots movement backing his candidacy. Though he has not officially announced it yet, the desire to recruit the senator for the '08 race has been established. Numerous unassociated online blogs and sites have been formed organizing efforts for a possible run.

The reason to support Hagel does lie in his individualistic integrity, embodied not only in the man as a politician but also as a human being. Perhaps yet the best example of this free-thinking independence exists in Hagel's response to the Israeli-Lebanese conflict which took place last summer.

While all mainstream politicians from each end of the political aisle�the Bush administration as well as self-proclaimed "progressives" like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi�supported Israel unequivocally as its military forces invaded Lebanon, killing over 1000 innocent civilians and displacing over one million people while labeling these atrocities as acts of "defense," only one high-profile senator spoke out.

Flirting with the possibility of breaking the unspoken, golden rule of American politics: do not ever cross the overly power Israel Lobby, exemplified so artfully in AIPAC (since doing so can result in political suicide), Hagel came before the senate floor in July, 2006, and declared that "The sickening slaughter on both sides must end and it must end now. This madness must stop." The latter point referring not only to the violence in the Middle East but also to the unequivocal support offered by both major U.S. parties.

Now that took some chutzpah�the kind necessary in 2008.

Political Reorientation

Senator Hagel spoke on Monday of our nation experiencing a political reorientation. What are your thoughts on what he had to say?

Also, take a look at The Hankster's comments on that. I'm not sure if his press conference on Monday signaled a run as an independent since he specifically addressed his Republican affiliation in the Q&A, but it's an interesting discussion. If you visit The Hankster, vote Hagel in the poll while you're there.

"Editorial: Hagel Will Sell Well In the Heartland"

Here's an piece worth sharing (from Huntington News in WV).

Editorial: Hagel Will Sell Well In the Heartland

In every presidential primary, Republican or Democrat, each party's dominant wing (right for Republicans, left for Democrats) are courted heavily. Take the Republicans. Even if the vast majority of Republican voters are not strongly conservative in the Republican primaries, those conservatives are highly prized because they always vote and are passionate enough to get others to vote.

So every Republican who wants to have a chance of victory is talking conservatives' language on social issues and foreign policy in anticipation of next year's primary contests. Even former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is trying to convince wary conservatives that his liberal advocacy on issues ranging from abortion to gun control to gay rights is behind him now.

What a relief for supporters of U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) that their man doesn't have to try so hard to convince conservatives that he is one of them. On abortion issues, Hagel has a sterling pro-life record in the U.S. Senate. The same is true on issues involving family values like marriage to a defense of the Second Amendment. Moreover, Hagel is a strong anti-tax Republican who wants a balanced budget. And as for his stand against some of the strategy leading up to the Iraq war and the blunders caused in it, Hagel always comes in the name of the soldiers themselves--and a more sensible, effective foreign policy to fight terrorism worldwide.

This is the kind of common-sense conservatism that appeals to both the social conservatives and the traditional, anti-tax conservatives in the Republican Party. More importantly for the GOP as it looks for a winner nationally in what will be a very close election in 2008, Hagel's common sense will resonate with the general voting public in both parties.

Rural states similar to Nebraska, like West Virginia, are as much traditional as they are conservative. Their voters want someone who understands rural issues. Given West Virginia's rise to prominence in the electoral college tally in 2000, putting George W. Bush over the top, look for candidates like Hagel to put in some time in states like West Virginia where they have natural common ground. Hagel can do well nationally, both in the primaries and the general election, in rural states like West Virginia. Hagel's straight-talking yet always-respectful style will be appreciated here.

The American people may be ready for a "Steady Eddie," a fresh face with a solid record of achievement in the U.S. Senate, and a seasoned leader with an intimate understanding of our nation's military, foreign policy, and what makes the private sector hum. If so, the Republicans would be wise to put forward a midwestern statesman this time around for President: U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel.