Posted on 07/04/2005 9:04:08 AM PDT by ovrtaxt
GOP's Sen. Chuck Hagel: 'We're a Bunch of Democrats'
Thanks to GOP-backed spending policies, Republicans have transformed themselves into the Party across the aisle, an often dissident Republican senator says. "In terms of the deficit, we have blown the top right off," charged Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb). "We're a bunch of Democrats." In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, he responded to Deborah Solomon's remark that she had never heard anyone call President Bush a Democrat. Hagel said "That's my point. We're less honest about it. We built the biggest government history has ever seen under a Republican government. The Democrats are better because they are honest about it. They don't pretend. I admire that. They'll say: "We want more money. We need more money."
Hagel added that he wants to take the GOP "back to the party of Eisenhower, Goldwater and Reagan. It was a pretty simple party in those days. It was all about limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and pro-trade foreign policy."
Hagel also didn't spare his artillery against the administration's Iraq war policies, stating that "If someone says I am a disloyal Republican because I am not supporting my party, let them say it. War is bigger than politics."
Citing his service in Vietnam, where he was twice wounded and lost some of his ability to hear, he recalled that "Congress was absent during the Vietnam War, and they didn't ask the tough questions, and consequently we lost 58,000 Americans and lost a war and humiliated this nation. It took a generation to get over it. As long as I am here as a U.S. senator, I am going to do whatever I can to make sure that isn't going to happen."
The Nebraska Republican complained that the U.S. doesn't "have enough troops. But I don't think the answer to increasing manpower is to pursue some of the things the Pentagon is doing, such as doubling and tripling bonuses for those in the military. Kids do not serve their country because they are in it to make money."
He danced around the question of whether he will run for President in 2008. "I haven't said I am running," he told Solomon. Reprinted from NewsMax.com
Monday, July 4, 2005 10:48 a.m. EDT
And then he whines when MoveOn.org makes him their pin-up boy.
"This guy just keeps giving the Dems more quotes to use against us. Even he is really concerned, he could be working more behind the secenes to stop the big spending prokers like Stevens of Alaska. He is a media-whore like Mccain, and doesn't care if he hurts the Pubbies"
Dittos on that ... the big spending is happening because the RINOs and big spending senators in both parties are controlling the process. Hagel is 'friends' with these moderates yet won't dare criticize *them*. NOPE!!!
This is all about him becoming a McCain-style media whore to get the coverage to run for President, bashing Republicans for ink. Disgusting.
Bush Jr. has built a gigantic government on the backs of taxpayers current and future, with gigantic budgets and deficits to match. Plus he's assaulted the First Amendment and refused to revile the USSC over the Kelo decision.
Why would anybody support either of the Big Stupid Government parties, unless you want more of this crap?
"a part-time free trader (only when free trade benefits the U.S.)"
That is exactly what a nation's trade policy should do, benefit itself above other natiions. Do you think that trade policy should be designed, as free trade does,to harm the the United States?
I find it curious that he would go to a way left of center Newspaper to spew his filth. If he wanted to do something besides pump up his sagging ego and run for the presidency he could have given an interview to the Washington Times or Fox News,or any number of more conservative venues. He is an immature,simpering,creepy little MCCain wannabe. Nobody wants him near them except the Dirty Dems because they can use him like a fifty cent hooker,and then turn their backs on him. Reagan had huge deficits also and outspent the Dems on things like Military Budget. The GOP has discovered that they outspend the dems they stay in the Majority,and eventually the dems numbers will diminish to a point where the GOp can be tightwads again.
"What he DOES is something else again. I'm not familiar with his voting record, but I'll bet any money that it's typically flaccid."
Actually his voting record is not bad, 80% or better on ACU and NTU. There are three dozen other Republican Senators with similar voting records, say a Senator Inhofe, Senator Coleman, Senator Cornyn, Senator Gordon Smith, Senator Mike Crapo ... but the point is, NONE of those other Senators get this coverage:
"In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, he responded to Deborah Solomon's remark that she had never heard anyone call President Bush a Democrat."
Why would the New York Times bother with a 'wide-ranging interview' with one of 55 GOP Senators? What makes him special? As noted by the conservative who was called by the New York Times to write an oped against the Bush administration's Iraq policy, who then got the invite 'pulled' when his response was "sure, but it won't be anti-Bush", there is a desire for the New York Times to cultivate republican dissenters, to fill in that line "Even Republicans think XXX" where XXX is the usual Liberal cant on a particular issue.
Hagel's a McCain-in-traing, learning to get coverage through
blasting other Republicans. Without his Iraq dissent, Hagel couldnt get past the security guards in the New York Times, even as a GOP Senator. Or especially as one!
Hagel gets his coverage, and NYTimes gets their 'GOP man' who craps on the rest of the party. This is media whore-dom at its worst.
I will never vote Hagel for anything.
Stopped clocks, and all.
I supported Bush because of SC appointments. Now we'll see if it was worth it.
If it wasn't, I'll leave the GOP and go right.
Well, I don't know that they'd eventually desire to cut spending BUT essentially you are correct. The lesson learned from Reagan was that you could run up deficits, and the economy would eventually outgrow them with economic incentives such as tax cuts.
Of course tax cuts and cut spending is preferable, but if Hagel was doing anything more than being McCain-lite he'd be working to make it reality. There is not a soul on this board that can convince me the President wouldn't sign a budget that slashed the budget across the board if the Senate actually sent him one. Hagel could work with people in that body to get it done, but he won't. he doesn't want spending cut anymore than the most other senators do. He only wants credit for rhetoric.
Actually, we should encourage McHagel. He's competing for the same small block of voters that McCain is. The country club blue bloods/Indy's and Dems that voted for McCain in the primaries. let them split that already small group in two while we rally in favor of one conservative.
Hagel is wrong about Eisenhower, isn't he? Wasn't Ike pretty much a protectionist in trade, or did Ike begin the floodgate of cheap Japanese conusmer goods into the country?
Get it right,George w Bush is not JUNIOR,his Father is George Herbert Walker Bush. Just because you hate them both don't sound like the Liberals that hate them even more than you do. Reagan outspent the Soviet Union for the Military and it busted them,and look where they are. Let's hear some positives about what to do instead of rants.
And Hagel would know.. being one of the head democrats himself..
Man, is this Moonbat confused.. even a blind fly'swatter hits a fly every now and again.. Chuck just smashed one..
One thing about Hagel: he understands the NE mindset, much as does RCB in WV, EMK in MA, and Jim Jeffords in VT.
Hagel is a principal supporter of LOST.
So? Technically that may be true, but I don't see anything wrong with referring to "Bush Jr". There are two recent presidents named Bush and it's a good shorthand way of distinguishing between them.
No,no,no he's been that way for a long,long time.
Hagel gets some coverage,but he is so nutty and unreliable that even the leftists don't cozy up to him. He is unsmiling and humorless. Unlike Mccain,the Leftist media does not like Hagel and he is not the jokester,smoozer,beat up on republicans at the same time kind of guy. mccain can slap the media on the back and then knife them in the back and they still love him because they know he is still stinging from the butt kicking that George Bush gave him and they will be able to get some "trash " about Republicans and President Bush from him.
He is? Law of the Sea Treaty? not good.
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