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
All I've been saying, and I'll bet it's what some of the others have been thinking, is that I'm a Constitutional Conservative first and WAS a Reagan Republican second!!!
I could tolerate the occasional disappointment with Ronnie, cause I could tell where he was trying to take us! I know where Schwartzie's going and I am NOT going there with him!!! (In fact it's important to stop him somehow, politically!)
I'm well aware that stopping him politically will undoubtedly bring us Angelides, who I also despise as much as I did Davis, but It's quite appearant the Republicans are so deeply vested in Arnold with absolutely NO back-up plan "B" that they are on a desperate path leading to embarrassment and humiliation and I am NOT going there with them, either!!!
Hagel is going nowhere and if he keeps up his nonsense he will lose in the Primary election in Nebraska. He is making the Vets really angry,and as proof he spoke before a Vets group and could only get 100 people to show up. Every time I see him I think of a beaten dog,he has that "abused, nobody cares about me" look. He thinks he can follow in Mccain's footsteps and be a one,two punch on the 2008 ticket with MCcain. He is out of his mind.
The very same. He tried to slip it through un-noticed too, in classical Senate-multilateral-treaty-skullduggery fashion. Now he's testing the waters for President.
The usual Senatorial hubris.
Two Big Government politicians, both of them.
And, by the way, how does squandering a trillion dollars on a "free" pill vote-buying scam for greedy geezers support national defense?
And go ahead and just try to defend Junior's assault on the First Amendment and free speech. Next, I'm sure you'll try to sell us on the idea that Junior "cut taxes".
Bull.
I've been using it for years and haven't been alone in so doing. I never saw it as a derogative and it'd definitely be news to a lot of fathers' sons that the identifying prefix "Jr." is now an insult. Diminish indeed!
I am still waiting for someone to announce they'll take on Hagel and DeWine in the primaries. I want them both out.
Graham thinks he'll survive in the primaries that ousted his buddy McCain, but he won't. Ravenal has the funds and connections to run a good race. came in 2nd in '04, the people there will vote him out in '08. Ohio's a difficult state to find a good electable Republican, but there has to at least be someone that is supportive of the WOT, tax cuts and Judicial nominations. Other than Blackwell whom I want to run as Governor. nebraska there is NO excuse as to why competition cannot be fielded in that conservative state.
Because the same people that call him Jr are the ones that call him schrub,and stupid and any number of pejoratives. They are trying to make out that Karl Rove, Dick cheney,or his Father or Rumsfeld, or Rice really run the White house because he is so unintelligent,and immature he cannot do it himself.
Since G.W.B. does NOT have the prefix "JR" attached to his name, I fail to see the connection that I've insulted those that do.
And, please spare the outrage. You will convince no one on this board insult isn't meant when that term is affixed to G.W.B. Especially with the poster in question. We've seen and heard it too often to be convinced otherwise. Save the prsentation for the more gullible.
Also, you can refer to Bush 1 or Bush 2,or Bush 41 or Bush 43. Saying Jr is a deliberate slam.
He's exactly right! This administration is over the top on spending. We NEED leadership that will take us back to the conservative days.
It's time for a change. Let's give the Rino/Democrap party a chance.
This coming from a RINO 7. Appears Chucky Cheese Hagel rec'd a lot of flak for his vote and demoncRAT viewpoint.
Hey idiot, war IS politics!
I think you're projecting way more meaning into "Jr" than is really there. If we want to play this game I could argue that referring to Bush as a number diminishes him because it treats him like some prisoner in a gulag whose humanity has been stripped away by a soulless bureacratic labeling. Etc.
But let's not.
If a person is actually insulting Bush by calling him a monster, reckless cowboy, etc., then by all means get mad and object. But how one chooses to refer to him --- as "Dubya," "GWB," "Bush the Younger," "Bush Jr," "43", etc. --- is not something to make anything of by itself. All those labels can be and are used without pejorative intent.
Yes, it's the administration's fault. A certain Senator that could actually do something about in the body that thrives on prok barrel spending has nothing to do with it.
I understand cheering a fiscally responsible government, but Congress is more responsible than anyone for the deficit. The President sought to curb spending slightly in the last budget and the screams from that Body could be heard across the Atlantic.
If Hagel really was serious about spending he'd build consensus among collegues to cut it. This is nothing but rhetoric meant to strike out at the Republican Party, the President, build the Dems up and present a favorable image of himself as not being a part of the problem. In my view he merits no praise whatsoever.
While I do not agree with all of President Bush's stances or policies, I don't come to any idea with a hate driven, closed mind. The real enemy are the liberal fascists,that know that they can use the "Buchanan Brigade" types that want the whole pie instead of 75 or 80 percent. They know that these people will complain about everything and muddy the water so they can step in and steal 50 percent of the 80 leaving us with 30 percent. Grab what we can and cut our losses,there is always tomorrow unless you are so blinded by hate you screw up everything.
more than a few oldtime conservatives are GReen with envy when they read that slice of your post. ;-)
the Moderates and global warming... 2 of the greatest travesties visited on human civilization. :)
Trust me, I have no outrage. Just incredulity. I think this whole issue is ridiculous.
If you want to project insult into the term, then have at it, but it's projection. Reardon may be a Bush opponent, but I'm not and I use it, and see nothing wrong with it. Liberals often refer to "Dubya" in their screeds, but that doesn't turn the term itself into an insult.
You have been incorrect in using it that way. If you are John Robert Doe and your son is john Robert Doe, he is John Robert Doe Jr. If he names his son John Robert Doe he will be John Robert Doe II,etc etc. They changed the initials in his name deliberately to not be a Jr. The people that hate the family and especially "The President" do this to slam them.
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