Posted on 05/08/2005 6:40:34 PM PDT by Carl/NewsMax
Maverick GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel said Sunday that U.S. power and influence in the world is in decline, then added, "That's good news, I think."
Discussing whether the Iraq war had left the American military stretched too thin, Hagel told ABC's "This Week":
"The world is now so vastly different in its distribution of not only economic power ... but also in military and diplomatic power."
The Nebraska Republican then explained: "The great challenge of our time for America is our competitive position in the world and understanding this great diffusion of new power. The United States is no longer the dominant power on earth as we have been the last 50 years. That's good news, I think."
Though Hagel's comments could come back to haunt him if, as is widely rumored in Washington, he decides to seek higher office, the GOP maverick had some good news for the Bush administration.
Asked if he'd seen any evidence that would cause him to oppose U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton since his confirmation was put on hold two weeks ago, Hagel said, "I have not seen anything that would keep me from voting for him ... from what I know now."
He did add, however, that he reserved the right to change his mind if more credible allegations about Bolton came to light.
They don't have the brains to. The excessively boosterish Socialist rag, the Omaha World-Herald plays Hagel up as though he were the Second Coming. Their country club Republican former publisher, Harold Andersen, regularly excoriates conservatives, and just recently changed his registration to "Independent." Nebraska's Republican Party wouldn't be able to field an effective conservative candidate to run for a county weed control board....the Party is controlled by RINOs.
I had been a delegate to a county-level convention in Nebraska, and I didn't hear so much as ONE conservative idea expressed. When we went into caucus, and I brought up conservative points to be voted on at the state convention, the usual response was "That's nice, but noone really wants a (insert "tax cut," "spending reduction," "concealed carry law," "elimination of motorcycle helmet laws," or any other conservative/small government idea you can think of)" These people were more concerned about looking "respectable" than about effectively challenging any Socialists.
Nebraska has been a Republican bastion for so long, the Party there thinks that as long as you tag an "R" onto someone's name, he'll get elected.....and outside of Omaha or Lincoln, that's pretty much the case. The current US Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns, was the RINO governor of Nebraska....and had been the DEMOCRAT mayor of Lincoln! The Socialist junior Nebraska senator, Ben Nelson, will likely cruise to being reelected the same way he did when he was governor: by being low-profile. He's a party line Socialist, but says and does so little, he doesn't get the people back home mad at him...so people think he's doing a good job, when he's really part of the problem.
Nebraska's Republican Party is so screwed up that they thought the football coach from the Lincoln campus of the University of Nebraska would make a good representative....and he got elected (Tom Osborne). Now, he wants to run for governor! Good qualification to be governor....."Elect me! I won three national championships!" "Works for me....after all, I may be a high school drop-out, but like the bumper sticker on my truck says, 'Damn right I'm a Husker!'"....and Nebraska wonders why people make fun of them.
Nebraskans brag about their unicameral legislature, but if if were so good WHY HAVEN'T OTHER STATES ADOPTED IT???? Nebraskans say that having non-partisan elections for mayor, legislature, city councils and other constitutional offices is good....because "we vote for the person, not the party," but if it's so good WHY DON'T OTHER STATES DO THE SAME THING????? For a state with one and one-half million people to have some of the highest taxes in the country, the most bizarre political systems AND A DECLINING ECONOMY must tell you SOMETHING!!!
Yes, there is a Texas flag on my profile, but Nebraska used to be my home. I couldn't make a living there, and couldn't stomach the politics and the obsession with the "Huskers." I couldn't stand seeing a state with so much potential (generally intelligent and hard working people, a not totally ruined public school system) being destroyed by a population that didn't expect its Republicans to be Republicans, and let charlatans like Ernie Chambers and frauds like Mike Fahey stay in office. In short, I got sick of the laissez-faire attitude that comes from a state that's just given up.
To any FReepers in Omaha who read this: The teacher at Connestoga Elementary in Omaha who got busted for selling meth is what you get when you have a school district that looks for cheap teachers and won't pay to get good ones. The Qwest Center and that undersized Hilton is what happens when you throw out a good mayor who may be a bit abrasive and replace him with the manager of Clinton's 1996 Nebraska campaign. You won't get concealed carry or any progress on any decent legislation as long as one peabrain from North Omaha can game the system to block anything he doesn't like. You people had better wake up and do something or else Nebraska will just be Iowa with Chimney Rock.
He adores John McCain. He also thinks that media sucking up is the way to higher office. He couldnt be more wrong.
Welcome to FreeRepublic!
This guy wants early retirement, right?
Hagel is a RINO.
Those folks are the worst kind.
He is democrat who knows he can't win unless he runs as a Republican In Name Only.
The only reason he may run is to help the Dems. He is hoping to cause problems in the primaries.
yup ,...o-o-oooo , what is that smell , UpChuck Hagel , what a POS
The R ?
Hey Chuckie .. I'm confused .. Who's side are you on??
North Korea's ??
Communist's ????
Or could it be the Terrorists???
HEY CHUCKIE ... YOU ARE WHAT WE CALL A MORON
Oh Oh .. And if this MORON does decide to run for President?
This comment WILL come back to haunt him !
Considering the fact that NOW Trent Lott is working on "deal" to give the democrats EXACTLY what they want re: the judicial nominees, there are WAY too many Rinos in the Senate right now, and I think this calls for a "warlike" offensive from the people--
These Republican Senators are not only not doing what we elected them to do, they are going out of their way to do the OPPOSITE of what they were elected to do...
The option is not to run and hide under our beds and stay away from politics or voting---the only option is to keep a list of everyone of them and do whatever it takes to vote them out---and/or set them straight---
I pledge as a freeper to do my best to work my typing fingers to the bone, if necessary, to achieve the GOP goals!
The utterly corrupt UN?
France? Russia? China? IRAN?
HOW ABOUT ALQAEDA???
C'mon, Chuckie, pls just tell us, so we will know for sure just whose side you're really on, because it certainly isn't the USA.
he is clearly not the brightest candle on the birthday cake...
I can't stand this guy. He's worse than McCain, and that's difficult to do. He must be delusional if he thinks he can continually stab Rs in the back and then come begging them to nominate him as their candidate for pres.
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