Hagel: I'd Consider VP Offer From Obama

OMAHA, Neb. — Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said Friday he would consider serving as Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's running mate if asked, but he doesn't expect to be on any ticket.

Hagel's vocal criticism of the Bush administration since the 2003 invasion of Iraq has touched off speculation that if Obama were to pick a Republican running mate, it might be Hagel. Hagel said in an interview with The Associated Press that after devoting much of his life to his country _ in the Senate and the U.S. Army _ he would have to consider any offer.

"If it would occur, I would have to think about it," Hagel said. "I think anybody, anybody would have to consider it. Doesn't mean you'd do it, doesn't mean you'd accept it, could be too many gaps there, but you'd have to consider it, I mean, it's the only thing you could do. Why wouldn't you?"

In a book published this year, Hagel said that despite holding one of the Senate's strongest records of support for President Bush, his standing as a Republican has been called into question because of his opposition to what he deems "a reckless foreign policy ... that is divorced from a strategic context."

Hagel wrote in "America: Our Next Chapter" that the invasion of Iraq was "the triumph of the so-called neoconservative ideology, as well as Bush administration arrogance and incompetence."

He said Friday that he and Obama also have differences.

"But what this country is going to have to do is come together next year, and the next president is going to have to bring this country together to govern with some consensus," Hagel said.

He hasn't endorsed Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumed Republican nominee, whom he calls a friend. Hagel said Friday he hadn't thought about who to vote for in November.

In a March appearance on ABC's "This Week, he said he and McCain have "some pretty fundamental disagreements on the future of foreign policy," including the Iraq war.

McCain has said his goal is to reduce U.S. casualties, shift security missions to Iraqis and, ultimately, have a noncombat U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to that in South Korea. He has said that such a presence could last 100 years or more.

Ted Sorensen, a former speechwriter for President John F. Kennedy, said Thursday that Obama should consider Hagel.

Sorensen, a Nebraska native, said Obama should pick a running mate who can help where he's weakest, and Hagel's national security experience makes him a logical candidate. Obama has a team managing the vetting process that includes former first daughter Caroline Kennedy, and Sorensen said he has spoken to her about the selection.

Hagel served as an Army sergeant in Vietnam and was twice wounded in 1968, earning two Purple Hearts.

He was the only member of his party on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support a nonbinding measure critical of Bush's decision to dispatch an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq.

"There is no strategy. This is a pingpong game with American lives," Hagel said at the time.

The rhetoric drew the public ire of Vice President Dick Cheney, who told Newsweek in January 2007 that Ronald Reagan's mantra to not speak ill of another Republican was sometimes hard to follow "where Chuck Hagel is involved."

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On the Net:

U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel: http://www.hagel.senate.gov

Comments

[MBryant]

I don't think it is legal for Hagel to be V.P. "Principled, Honest Republicans" are on the endangered species list and you can't relocate them and cause them stress in this way...

Seriously, Hagel would make a good President, but I don't think he'll be the Veep.

As everyone gets excited about Veep choices - let's remember - they matter more in governing than they do in geting elected and unless your name is Cheney they don't matter that much in governing.

Think about WINNING veeps since George Bush the elder was Veep: Quayle (?) defeated Bentsen (great Veep choice - good balance, campaign debate), then lost to Gore (a clone of Clinton), who also defeated Kemp (great campaigner), Cheney (small very red state, terrible campaigner) defeated Lieberman and Edwards (both good ticket balancers and campaigners). Obviously ticket balancing and campaigning value are not big deals in the real world.

Another Veep fact: more veeps have become President by constitutional succession (Truman, Johnson, Ford) in the last fifty years than by subsequent election (Nixon, Bush Sr.). So although McCain and Obama should be choosing a potential president and not a "running mate" - both want every chance to win, so they'll consider ticket balancing and campaigning and image and all that stuff..

[vocalist]

A politician speaks his mind ? How unpolitical !
I would go for him.

[disgusted48]

A big fat NO! There must be some decent democrats out there that Obama can choose from.

[JerryTheAngel]

Senator Obama should recruit Senator Hagel to head up an organization called "Republicans for Obama" with the understanding that he will be named National Security adviser in an Obama administration.

[blueskybigstar]

This was a very interesting article for me. Obama should not choose Hagel because of his past support of the economic policies which have led this country astray. What is Hagel's position on impeachment? The most interesting thing about this article is that it confirmed where exactly the Republicans went wrong and I mean devilishly wrong. Thank you Dick Cheney for revealing it. Reagan had a mantra "never to speak ill" of another Republican. If you don't know what the implications are for such collusion, let me explain. When a Republican does wrong, it is not spoken of, and those that do are pushed out of the party. What happens is when the only vetting process of a party is to eliminate free thinkers, then what you have is an ever increasing concentration of people of very low character because of so called loyalty to the party. What develops is a cabal, a gang, a mafia, a god father organization, beholden not to truth or even to the country, but beholden to everything which keeps them a part of the in-club of bullies and people who only repeat the party line. There are only two parties. The country can't survive such gangster politics especially in such an amorphous, poorly defined two party system. Thank you, Reagan.

[AurigaRa]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

He votes 99% of the time with Bush - and he can say any crap he wants about ending the war.
None of them will do it overnight.

Plus - HE's A REPUBLICAN.

Don't you people learn??????

[Bettysdad]

I would like to announce that I would consider running as Barack Obama's running mate.

[NotMcCain]

The VP has to agree with the Presidential candidate on more than one or two issues.

Otherwise, think about what a mess the debate would be, with Repubs. pointing out that Hagel (or Webb) disagree with Obama on so many things.

"He's wrong about all these areas of disagreement, isn't he?" And

"How can you work together for the country when you don't even agree with each other on the basic issues?"

A VP needs to be a point man (or woman) for the President, especially during the general election. This isn't the right job for someone with wide areas of disagreement..

[riverhouse]

He's not going to chose a goper. That is a stupid nonstarter.

[rollingdivision]

Hagel is articulate as Bush, but not as smart. Youtube him and listen to him.

[Azor]

You must have clicked on the wrong Hagel!

[cafemocha]

Capitulating to republican power already. This guy could not muster enough interest within the GOP to notice him and put him on their own damn ticket. Now some jokers and fools think putting a neocon lackey on the democratic ticket is a way to "reach out across the aisle". My "hope" is that this hype is all staged to get

The ONLY time a democrat should "reach across the aisle" is to put HAND CUFFS on the neocon criminals.

[Azor]

Hagel did not stand a chance within the GOP for the very same reasons we are discussing him here. I don't think he is going to be the VP and I don't think I want it to happen, but I would trust both him and Obama if it were to happen. Hagel is an honorable and trustworthy man, and as far from "neocon lackey" as you can get in either party.

When I see posts like yours, and I do see plenty of them, here and elsewhere, I wonder how the next few years are going to be under an Obama administration. He is going to make many people unhappy (he already started) for many reasons, including that you were not really listening to what he is saying. He is not a US vs THEM kind of politician, at least that's what he is claiming and I pray and belive that he is being honest about it. I do think he is going to try to surround himself with the best people he can find, and that he is going to listen to opposing points of view before deciding.

[truthynesslover]

Hagel has been an outstanding critic of this administration about this war.I may be a democratic voter all the way but I also appreciate when someone has the courage to go against his own party and stand up for what is right.I for one admire him greatly and thank him for being so out spoken..

[AurigaRa]

blah blah blajh

so has Ron Paul and you ought to check out his agenda.

Geeeesh folks - He's a REPUBLICAN!!!!!

[AurigaRa]

THANK you!!!!

[teapartydude]

I like Hagel, but his economic positions and anti-abortion stance nullifies any chance of a slot as the VP.

[nathananderson]

Yes! This would be the perfect way to bridge to partisan gap.

[tbone99]

Well , Hagel could at least guarantee Nebraska:

The respected Washington, DC publication The Hill (www.thehill.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx) has confirmed that former conservative radio talk-show host and now Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel was the head of, and continues to own part interest in, the company that owns the company that installed, programmed, and largely ran the voting machines that were used by most of the citizens of Nebraska.

Back when Hagel first ran there for the U.S. Senate in 1996, his company's computer-controlled voting machines showed he'd won stunning upsets in both the primaries and the general election. The Washington Post (1/13/1997) said Hagel's "Senate victory against an incumbent Democratic governor was the major Republican upset in the November election." According to Bev Harris of www.blackboxvoting.org, Hagel won virtually every demographic group, including many largely Black communities that had never before voted Republican. Hagel was the first Republican in 24 years to win a Senate seat in Nebraska.

[blueskybigstar]

When people win black areas that never before voted Republican, that is seemingy irrefutable evidence of cause for an investigation. If true, which I believe it is, is this not treason? If ever there were a need for a d penalty it would be for anyone who succeeds in the attempts to subvert the democratic process. Remember the CIA as run by George Bush Sr. who stymied Carter's negotiation with Iran for hostages by promising Iran arms if they would just kindly hold the hostages until after the elections. They did everything they coud to villify the man and rewrite the history of his presidency like Ramses did with Hatshepsut. The Republicans have played dirty in every election since the first election of Carter. They have dirtied American politics in such a way that we really do need Obama to think out of the box and come up with real change, like a system of independent and/or semi-independent parties --as to divide the two traditional parties--, but with more specifically declared motivations in politics. We need less spin and to learn what, if anything, our politicians stand for which is greater than themselves.

[schicklett3]

Obama dosen't need Hagel - Obama needs Jim Webb!

[NotMcCain]

Obama doesn't need Hagel or Webb. He needs Wes Clark!

[CaseyBabes]

They all need to say their prayers.....ooops, scratch that thing about prayers. Why, that would be un Murican....duh. Just pass them more bribe money.

[engineer68]

You are so right!

[macintoshsauce]

No. He needs me. :)

[Grunty1]

Wow, this story is giving me a bad sense of deja'vu.

In 2004, it was Mc'Cain (the maverick moderate of course) who was considering being offered the Dem VP spot...
Does the GOP actually allow ONE senator have enough sanity to be brandied about as the Dem's VP every year? Why does the media never bring up possible Democrats for the GOP ticket?

[Marrigan]

It is said that every senator looks in the mirror each morning and says, "I should be President". Lord, save us from yet another senator throwing his hat in the ring! Do not even THINK about trusting Hagel.