Sen. Hagel May Enter '08 Race Soon

(AP)  Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., plans to make his long-awaited announcement about his political future at his alma mater Monday.

Hagel will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. at the University of Nebraska at Omaha's alumni center.

There has been speculation in political circles for more than a year that the outspoken critic of the war in Iraq might seek the Republican nomination for president in 2008. Hagel has said for weeks that he would make an announcement about his future "soon" but hasn't indicated whether that announcement would reveal his presidential aspirations, if any, or whether he would seek re-election to the Senate in 2008.

If Nebraska Republican insiders knew what Hagel planned to say, they weren't telling.

"Everybody is abuzz about what he might say, and nobody seems to have the slightest idea what he'll say," said Pat McPherson, Republican chairman for the 2nd Congressional District.

Gov. Dave Heineman's spokeswoman, Jen Rae Hein, said the Republican governor does not know what Hagel will announce.

Tiffiny Carlton, executive director of the Nebraska Republican Party, said Hagel would be a viable presidential candidate.

"I think most Nebraskans would be proud to have their favorite son as one of the candidates," Carlton said.

Hagel, 60, is scheduled to appear with nine declared presidential hopefuls at the International Association of Fire Fighters' annual meeting next Wednesday. Each participant in the bipartisan forum will have 30 minutes to discuss why he or she should be the next president.

"We were clear about exactly what it was and he said he wants to participate," association spokesman Jeff Zack said Wednesday. "So you can read into that however you want."

Hagel has been the most outspoken Republican critic of Bush's policy.

"We can't change the outcome of Iraq by putting American troops in the middle of a civil war," Hagel said last month.

If Hagel decides to run for president, he'll be joining an already crowded field of Republican candidates which includes: U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

McPherson said Hagel may have tipped his hand when word came out that he would be part of next week's Washington forum.

"You've got to regard Chuck seriously as a potential presidential nominee," McPherson said. "It doesn't surprise me he would be there (at the forum). He has a very strong appeal to a great number of people when it comes to looking at an alternative presidential candidate.

"He votes solidly, for the most part, with the Republican party and with the president. At the same time, there's 65 percent of the population that feels the same as him on Iraq."

Former Nebraska congressman and Omaha mayor Hal Daub said Hagel would be well-qualified to be president.

"Senator Chuck Hagel has a demonstrated capacity to deal intelligently and forthrightly with the great issues of our time," said Daub, who is a Republican Party national committeeman. "He is a conservative with a big-picture understanding and views and truly possesses the highest quality of leadership capability."

Lee Denker, president of the UNO Alumni Association, said he found out Wednesday that Hagel would make the announcement at the alumni center.

Hagel earned a bachelor's degree in general studies at UNO in 1971.

Hagel, a native of North Platte, entered politics in 1996 after serving as president of McCarthy & Co., an investment banking firm based in Omaha, and chairman of the board of American Information Systems.

He firmly defeated Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg in the Senate primary, earning 62 percent of the vote. He went on to defeat Democratic Gov. Ben Nelson, who later was elected to the Senate in 2000. Nelson is now Nebraska's junior senator.

Hagel was re-elected in 2002, winning 83 percent of the vote against Democrat Charlie Matulka, an unemployed construction worker.

The last time Nebraska had presidential contender came 15 years ago when Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., ran for the Democratic nomination in 1992. Kerrey failed to win much support in any primary except South Dakota and eventually withdrew.

[zootallures2]

What about Ron Paul? Even Foxnews at least had an article about him. But as a total outside observer, the Republicans should run Jeb Bush. If he's anything like George, they are easy to keep an eye on. It's been the same savage corrupt country for ceturies. Until, George Jr., no one ever even noticed.

[jerr11]

I am an independent and Hagel is the the only Republican I would vote for.

He's a voice of conscience in a party of corrupt, greedy, sycophantic, spineless, phony hypocrites.

[randalds]

This is why the party is going up in flames - it's been taken over by Stalinists.
Posted by shingles1 at 01:21 AM : Mar 09, 2007

There actually used to be a real republican party. A party of Goldwater and Ford and even that crazy left winger (by neocon standards) Nixon. None of them would be considered nearly conservative enough by the neocons. None of them would make it in today's republican party because even when they thought wrong they thought for themselves. They didn't march in Nazi-style lockstep with the party line, with the gospel according to Cheney and Rove. In today's republican party if you get out of line even a little bit they'll crush you. it would be nice to go back to a two party system in this country, but right now we have the democratic party and on the other side a monolith of ideology. A cold unfeeling machine dedicated only to feeding itself and crushing any who oppose it. And to hell with what's best for America. The machine could care less as long as it gets it's way.

[shingles1]

As I suspected, the litmus test for being considered a Republican has been reduced to supporting the Iraq War and supporting Bush. Hegel is about as conservative as they come - certainly more so than Guiliani, Romney, and Panderbear McCain - but because he thinks the Iraq War was a mistake that makes him "despised" and "loathed" among the party faithful. Ironic, when coming from people who like to think of themselves as freethinkers unlike those *** Democrats who all walk/talk the party line.

This is why the party is going up in flames - it's been taken over by Stalinists.

[opfor311]

Here in Nebraska, we are hoping that he runs, and gets taken out in the Republican Senatorial primary...so we can elect someone who represents us as our Senator.....

We'd rather have Nelson (D) than Hegal (R). We want someone who listens to us, not the blue state types.

Let's keep it real, shall we? The only reason Hagel garners an ounce of attention is because he's a mainstream media *** who gets off alienating the party to which he belongs and its constituents -- and the Sunday morning shows drool over his every anti-war, anti-Bush diatribe. Chuck Hagel is, indisputably, the most despised, loathed Republican amongst the conservative GOP base...now that Lincoln Chafee has been put out to pasture.

How could any sane individual justifiably reach the conclusion that Chuck Hagel could win his party's nomination? The man doesn't even register 1% in national polls.

For those in agreement with Hagel on Iraq, don't delude yourselves...Joe Lieberman stands a better chance of winning the Democratic (and the Republican) nomination in '08.

[shingles1]

"I didn't know a republican could run in the democratic primaries.
Posted by notblue"

?

Is your point that Hagel is not a REAL Republican?

[notblue]

I didn't know a republican could run in the democratic primaries.

[shingles1]

"Not one, count 'em, not one screaming right wing radical in this thread. Hagel to a neocon is like sunlight to a vampire.
Posted by dallison7"

I guess the "screaming banshees" are all too busy raving about how wonderful Fox News is and ranting about how "everything bad that has ever happened in the history of the world is all the liberals' fault" over in the John Edwards thread.

[randalds]

Not one, count 'em, not one screaming right wing radical in this thread. Hagel to a neocon is like sunlight to a vampire.
Posted by dallison7 at 02:34 PM : Mar 08, 2007

So far, but don't be surprised if singinslick shows up to pray Hagel doesn't get the nomination since he doesn't pander to the lunatic religious fringe like Bush has and the rest are doing. And to try to convert a few heathen non-believers too. lol!