Posted on 06/26/2005 9:11:16 AM PDT by CHARLITE
If Sen. John McCain seeks the Republican nomination for president in 2008, as expected, he could face stiff competition from another conservative Vietnam vet considered a maverick within the party - Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel.
Observers say Hagel could be attractive to many of the centrist Republicans who voted for McCain in the 2000 primaries.
Like McCain, Hagel has parted ways with the Bush administration on a number of issues.
He's been critical of American troop levels in Iraq and U.S. preparation for the reconstruction of the country. He's spoken out about U.S. policy regarding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, saying they shouldn't be held indefinitely. He expressed doubts about John Bolton's nomination to the UN and urged a delay in his confirmation hearing. He voted against the president's No Child Left Behind education legislation and the 2002 farm bill. "If Senator McCain runs, Hagel comes out of sort of that same niche," professor Randall Adkins, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska, told the publication The Hill.
The Nebraska Senator could have an advantage over McCain because he's well known in much of neighboring Iowa, an early primary state where McCain did not campaign in 2000.
Also, he could have a stronger appeal among more conservative Republicans due to his criticism of the deal to head off a filibuster over judicial nominees - a deal McCain supported.
In fact, some Republicans in McCain's home state are so unhappy with his stance on immigration reform and campaign finance reform that the Arizona Republican Assembly recently passed a resolution calling on party leaders to censure him.
And McCain would be 72 when he entered the White House. Hagel is 10 years younger.
But for the time being, Hagel is noncommittal.
"John McCain is a very dear friend of mine and a one of the most effective senators in the United States Senate," said Hagel.
"What he's gonna do, I don't know. What I'm gonna do, I don't know."
Exactly. Not a chance, IMO........and I'd be willing to vote multiple times, just to make sure that neither of these RINOS get one big toe under our tent.
Char :)
Yeah right....and there are snowballs in hell.
McCain/Hagel (on the Dem ticket).
Michael Jackson will be President before Chuck Hagel is.
As a fellow dyed-in-the-wool conservative and a Nebraskan, I wish to apologize to the entire civilized world for Chuck Hagel.
Especially with them splitting the same group of crossover primary voters. Dick Morris thinks crossover primary voters won't be much of a force in 2008, because both parties will have contested primaries due to the President Bush being term limited.
God help us if these are the only people who we can get to run for the presidency
I'm not too hip on any Senator running for President. We need a good conservative with Executive experience.
Hagel is a bagel and a bagel has a hole
Hagel sounds like bagel but the bagel's got a soul
Hagel likes to finagle
but Prez wont be his label!
Hagel= gutless, spineless RINO MSM panderer.
Sen. George Allen for Prez.
It's rather amazing how so many wannabe presidents in the Senate think that they can win by pretending to be (or even becoming) losers [Democrats].
There is a true Reagan conservative in the house named Mike Pence.Pence will never let you down.
Well said.
I still wish there were some way to get Dick Cheney to reconsider his decision not to run for the presidency in '08. Personally, I believe that he would succeed on issues of border control and dealing with the U.N. PROPERLY (as in, kicking their asses OUT of here), where the current administration has (to be kind now) been 'less than stellar' in those areas?
As a footnote, the Vice President laid a major smackdown on Hagel this past week, describing Hagel as an 'armchair quarterback' regarding Hagel's whining and wringing of his hands about our (ahem) "Iraqi Quagmire"...I said 'DAMN STRAIGHT Mr. Vice President!!!'
The only threat Hagel poses to McCain is for the title of "Loudest Boos" at the Iowa Straw Poll in August 2007. I'll be there, booing them both.
Conservatives don't want either one of these moderates to be president. Both would have trouble in the primary. Pro-choice Rudy will also have trouble in the primary. The only one who can beat Hillary is John McCain, but which party does he belong to?
If Democrats are allowed to vote twice, Hagel is not a threat to McCain.
Oh boy. If he'd just go ahead and switch - become the Democrat that he politically IS, he would be the "killer-diller DRAGON SLAYER".........and then we'd nominate our so far un-named "man on a white horse" who would come galloping in like Sir Galahad, and win the election. Killery would be no longer living-lying history!
Char :)
They will probably run on thesame ticket, cannot stand either. Hope we get a dynamo nominated and elected.
I fear though, if our president does not wake up to the fact that most Americans are mad as hell over the border issue, he may cause the Whitehouse to be democrat, and lose seats in congress.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.