[George W. Bush]

The Dems in the Senate, plus Lincoln Chaffee, Olympia Snowe, and Chuck Hagel, represent a non-conservative majority. Re-elect Bush, and put about 6 more Republicans (primarily from the open Southern seats) in the Senate, and let's see what happens in the next four years.

Please don't list Hagel in the same breath with those others.

Nebraska, despite being an all-Red state, has its little tradition of producing prairie radicals and cranks independent thinkers. Hagel fits the pattern. You might feel better if you realize that the Dims hate Hagel's junior senator, Ben Nelson, just as much as you apparently hate Hagel. Personally, I blame George Norris and William Jennings Bryant. My dad and grandfather did too.

Hagel used to be reliably rightwing when he associated more with Helms. But every now and then, when the rest of the current GOP stumbles into idiocy, he takes the proper stand on an important policy question. But even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn...

[My2Cents]

Well said. I retract Hagel from the list of usual suspects. But my point is still valid.