Editorial Opinion

Hagel dealing himself out of GOP? Publisher thinks so by Bob Hoig, Publisher Midlands Business Journal As someone who won betting on Chuck Hagel to beat then-Gov. Ben Nelson in the 1996 race for an open U.S. Senate seat, even before Hagel had captured the Republican primary, I’m offering myself as a Hagel prophet. Prediction No. 1 – Hagel will never again run as a Republican in Nebraska. Prediction No. 2 – He will not be a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Prediction No. 3 – He might pull a “Zorinsky” – switching parties to win a vice-presidential nomination as the late Ed Zorinsky did to win a U.S. Senate nomination in the 1970s, citing that “I didn’t leave the party, the party left me.” The die was cast for Hagel years back when he abrasively turned on President George W. Bush over the Iraq War, blessing the dispatching of Saddam Hussein, but carping and playing Monday morning quarterback ever since – the “Democrats’ favorite Republican.” At best, Hagel’s calling Iraq “Vietnam” was a complete misreading, as if he had never heard of World War II or mad dictators and their scramble for ultimate weapons. At worst, it puts him near the head of the class, peopled by Senators Joseph Biden, Teddy Kennedy and Barbara Boxer and Representatives Nancy Pelosi and William Murtha, all Democrats, who seem to be doing everything they can to make their Vietnam warnings into self-fulfilling prophesy. In Vietnam in the 1970s, then-Army Capt. Chuck Hagel was lucky he didn’t have to deal with a Lt. Hagel, Sgt. Hagel, or Pvt. Hagel every time the company had to take a hill or find the best way through the jungle. Some Republican senator other than Hagel might have pulled off his personal bit of opposition. But instead of his war experience counting in Hagel’s favor, it merely reminded Nebraska conservatives of a mutinous officer. Thanks to Fox News channel, the image is implanted nationwide. There is probably some surface appeal for Hagel to become a Democrat. Hillary Clinton, for one, could benefit from some military dressing up on the ticket, if she wins the Democratic presidential nomination. Hagel, however, won’t fill that suit for reasons listed below. He could be useful to the Democratic Party, however, as a media darling up to the nominating convention in Denver in 2008. This leads to Prediction No. 4 – Even if Hagel tries a party switch, he’s left in the cold because Democrats from the Clintons on down can count. As the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, Hagel would be as good as it gets – for the Republicans. His presence on the 2008 ticket would guarantee a massive GOP voter turnout against a man some regard as a turncoat and it would help all Republican candidates. I and a good many others who once supported Chuck Hagel marvel when he shoves himself into the headlines and onto TV as a military strategist. Is it merely political ambition? Ego? Hubris? The corruption of too-long held power? It was painful watching him at Senate hearings last week, playing the Grand Inquisitor alongside Biden and Boxer. Even among the committee Democrats, Hagel was the most boorish and rude in his questioning of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice – and, worse yet, he seemed to enjoy it so much. Threatened in war by religious fanatics who want to destroy our civilization, America needs Congress and the big media to square themselves away. A dash of old-fashioned patriotism and self-restraint – the kind epitomized by the concept that “politics stop at the water’s edge” – would help. Watching Hagel verbally abusing Secretary Rice brought one step closer the specter of a half-dozen or so rump “commanders-in-chief” springing out of every Senate “oversight” hearing, right up to election day 2008. Anyone who has seen a committee trying to lead anything can only shudder. From the day in 1996 when he asked me to coffee for a one-on-one briefing about his first run for office, I had high hopes for Hagel. My pre-primary bet on him with a local radio anchorman in front of witnesses was $100, and I’ve yet to collect. But at the time, I was happy over Hagel. So much for high hopes! January 19, 2007

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