Posted on 11/29/2006 2:20:31 PM PST by RWR8189
WASHINGTON -- A month ago, the idea that Sen. Chuck Hagel would make a serious run for the Republican presidential nomination would have been a nonstarter. As an outspoken critic of President Bush on Iraq and other issues, Hagel's way was blocked. His best hope was nomination by a quixotic third party in an online convention.
It's a measure of the step change brought about by the Nov. 7 elections that Hagel is now seriously exploring a GOP presidential bid. The Republican blowout, he says, reflected a "breakdown of confidence and trust in governance'' and opened the way for what he believes will be "the most wide-open presidential race since 1952.'' The Nebraska senator says he will make a formal decision in the next two months on whether to run.
What would make a Hagel candidacy interesting is that he can claim to have been right about Iraq and other key issues earlier than almost any national politician, Republican or Democratic. Though a Vietnam veteran and a hawk on many national security issues, he had prescient misgivings about the Iraq War -- and, more important, the political courage to express these doubts clearly, at a time when many politicians were running for cover.
Hagel warned about the dangers of invading Iraq in a Feb. 20, 2003, speech in Kansas. He noted that America stood "nearly alone'' in advocating military force to disarm Iraq and cautioned against "a rush to war.'' Some of Hagel's premonitions were almost eerie: "What comes after Saddam Hussein? The uncertainties of a post-Saddam, post-conflict Middle East should give us pause, encourage prudence, and force us to recognize the necessity of coalitions in seeing it through.'' He urged the Bush administration to transfer postwar oversight to the United Nations as soon as possible, and admonished Iraq boosters
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
NO
Hmmm.....no.
NO!
NO!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
who?
Hagel has been running for President for at least two years. The article is full of sh*t.
I'd even take McCain over Hagel.
Will kiss McCain's butt before I support Hagel.
KNOW.
Absolutely not.
This is a shmear campaign...
Oh, has anyone mentioned ... NO?
No.
Vote for a Dem before Hagel (but please, don't vote for either). President Hagel would destroy the Republican Party.
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