Chuck Hagel: Quit Talking About The Surge, Focus On War's Future

OMAHA, Neb. — Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, fresh from an Iraq trip with Democrat Barack Obama, said the presidential candidates should focus on the war's future and stop arguing over the success of last year's troop surge.

Hagel mentioned both candidates, but his comments seemed directed at Republican John McCain. McCain, while Obama traveled the Middle East, attacked Obama for opposing the military escalation last year that increased security in Iraq.

"Quit talking about, 'Did the surge work or not work,' or, 'Did you vote for this or support this,'" Hagel said Thursday on a conference call with reporters.

"Get out of that. We're done with that. How are we going to project forward?" the Nebraska senator said. "What are we going to do for the next four years to protect the interest of America and our allies and restructure a new order in the world. ... That's what America needs to hear from these two candidates. And that's where I am."

Hagel, too, opposed the troop increase strategy, though he acknowledged Thursday it brought about positive changes. "When you flood the zone with superior American military firepower, and you put 30,000 of the world's best troops in a country, there's going to be a result there," Hagel said.

Whether the surge worked, though, can't be measured, Hagel said, arguing the small gains came at a high price. He said President Bush's decision last year to dispatch an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq has cost more than 1,000 American lives and billions of dollars.

Though Hagel is a Republican, his name has been floated as a potential vice presidential running mate for Obama. Like McCain, he is a Vietnam war veteran, but Hagel is a fierce critic of the war in Iraq. He has said he would consider running with Obama on the Democratic ticket but that he doesn't expect to be asked. He is not running for reelection.

Hagel joined Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island in traveling with Obama to the Middle East. Reed said the trip was productive. "It wasn't just a photo op and social chit chat," Reed said in a telephone interview.

Reed said the group pressed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to have the Iraqi government do more.

"Unless the government of Iraq can start delivering _ delivering jobs, delivering funds, performing _ then the gains that have been made will be quickly erased," Reed said. "I think that is a point that we all stressed, particularly Senator Obama, with the prime minister."

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Associated Press Writer Andrew Miga in Washington contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS that Hagel has said in the past, not Thursday, he would run.)

Comments

[Insideout143]

Hagel may have a better view on the war in Iraq, but that's all. He is part of the reason we have fraudulent voting, being party to the unwatchable voting machines! No way he should be VP.

[Tator]

But what is the Messiah's solution for Afghanista­n....A SURGE...HA­HAHAHA

[Spud777]

Tator, in reviewing your previous posts, I am amazed at how you distort everything. You are a true republican. I think the motto of you people are "who needs the truth, when lies will make me wealthy and get me elected". You, of course will be crying like a baby in 103 days, when you prevaricators become the permanent minority party of the US.

[JeannieE]

Careful there spud, using a word like prevaricate is likely to confuse a republican.

[afed27]

If Obama wins we will all be crying for 4 years. The same is probable for a McCain win. The voters are being dealt cards from a stacked deck & there will be no winners for the citizens of our country.

[truthynesslover]

The republicans have left our troops in afganistan without enough soldiers to keep order there.They have allowes the largest poppy crop to be sold and the profits go to al qaeda and the taliban.wh­at do you think they are doing with all that money?The republicans have allowed pakistan to harbor bin laden and al qaeda.You think its funny your own party has let this happen?I bet you have a support the troops sticker on your car.Now thats funny!

[Diogenis]

Ooops, now what is McCane gonna talk about?

[saltpeter]

First of all, the SURGE IS NOT SUSTAINABLE and, secondly, THERE IS NO MILITARY SOLUTION IN IRAQ. We can keep sending troops in there to manage a civil war until the cows come home and nothing will change other than more deaths. The only way that we can have a sustainable peace in Iraq or in any country that is ruled for decades by one extremist leader after another is to beef up the Middle Class. A sizeable and every growing middle class is the ONLY means to political stability--PERIOD! Anything else any other US politician tries to sell you about security in the region that involves purely militaristic solutions and does not address the high unemployment rate, attempts to stem the emigration of the Iraqi Middle Class from Iraq, and rebuilding of an operational infrastructure is full of sh**. We could start by kicking out each and every contractor and giving those jobs to Iraqis. I'm sure that if all at once there was suddenly nearly 200,000 jobs with salaries pushing $100,000 a year available to Iraqi citizens you could gut the "insurgent" and militia movement in a day. McCain has said NOTHING about economic remedies for the region. He has admitted he knows little about the American economy. He knows even far less about the Iraqi economy. The only thing he knows about the economy is that the same people who profit off our war in Iraq are the same people who contribute greatly to his campaign.

[tel8034]

If the Bush administration had listened to Obama and had NOT invaded Iraq, there would have been NO debate about the SURGE in 2008.

[Tulka2]

But it is so much fun to say "surge". So manly. LOL

Remember what Lincoln said, "When you argue with a fool, people may not be able to tell you apart."

[janvoght]

did Lincoln really say that? so true even if he didn't. entangling ourselves in arguments with fools only serves to make us look equally as foolish. it sort of dumbs us down, and that is not productive in anyway. mc cain has made his point about the surge, and many others have made their points as well. we need to move on to a more important discussion of current issues, like, since the violence is down, let's bring the troops home, end the war in Iraq, and decide what's best for the future of our relationship in the middle east. the war was started based on deliberate deception, and proved with out a doubt, that America should never again allow such a blunder.
obama '08

[Tulka2]

Yes, Lincoln is credited with the thought. I hope i have quoted it exactly, but may not have. Lincoln was pithy as hell. I think it helped that there was not recorded media. Every audience was a new one and he was able to perfect his one-liners over time. Twain... the same deal.

[LeftLeanWing]

Definition Change:
----------­----------­------

InSURGEnt - A person that uses the word SURGE repeatedly in a political campaign.

[MiddleRoadLiberal]

I thought "McCain" was good enough.

[TruthStar9]

Obama/Hagel '08

[research]

specially since more Iraqis died since the surge, and more are dying now then before the surge. look at May.

dead people are very secure.

[Sixtwo]

Right on Hagel!! I am with you! If the Republicans did not have the "surge" to campaign about, they would not have anything of interest to the American people to talk about--even though WE NEED TO PUT THE SURGE BEHIND US and look forward to getting out of Iraq. Why isn't McCain sharing defined strategy for ending the Iraq mess? I can answer, he doesn't have one.

[edwarvir]

If the money stops so will the surge

[professorA]

I'm interested in the means that has contributed to the surge working. How is it a success when it has been paused only by money to those who would otherwise be shooting at American men and women in uniform? The truth of the matter maybe that its a shallow appearance of success to continue the lies and deception.­.. Let the American people hear the real masquerade .

[Heavy]

Too bad we can't clone Hagel to replace the rest of his party.

[abby4ever]

That's what I said too, wouldn't it be great if we could?

[lattedrinker]

Hagel should represent the future of the GOP. Not the NeoCon ideas of the Bush administration.

[Liberoservative]

Hagel is a TRUE Republican­....

that is good and bad..... because he is too much a true repub to be our VP choice...

But, he would be great in a Cabinet Position..­..

I will not speculate which because there are a few that come to mind...

[Changeizgood]

That's what I told the young GOP'ers, their party has a bunch of greedy worms in it and it's time for a new apple.

I told them if they start now like we did in 06, hopefull(if not too badly infiltrated) they will be able to turn the party back tot he conservative Reagans they used to be. This group of Rethugliklan morons, are rotten to the core.

They robbed seniors of medicare cost, the poor by cutting back on educational grants and funds, and now the Wall Street Morgage and Investors of capital, by manipulating the Oil prices through speculation.

[holeybuybull]

Chuck Hagel is a politician with principles. After all, he was a principal owner of the company that supplied the voting machines that resulted in his election to the senate.

[marm]

( fROM my blog -- http://blob.momsablogger.com)

The McCain campaign pulled the ad today blaming Senator Barack Obama for the high gas prices. A spokesperson pointed out that the recent drop in crude oil cost, which lowered the price of gasoline, might erroneously have been credited to Obama as well and attention should therefore no longer be drawn to the issue.

Senator McCain lost no time, however, in attacking Obama on another front. Calling a press conference, he accused Obama of responsibility for Dolly, a Category 2 hurricane which made landfall at the tip of Texas July 23. The connection, McCain alleged, is clear. Winds coming off the African coast from June to November create squalls that intensify over the Atlantic and become tropical storms as they move towards America.

Unlike New Orleans, Brownsville hadn't planned a gay parade prior to Dolly's arrival there, and absent conditions ripe for Divine retribution, such disasters are no longer called "acts of God," since it has been determined that God's a Republican. What remains, McCain explained, is the fact that Obama, whose late father was from Kenya, is a conduit for the ill wind that blows no good from the African continent. He ruled out voodoo and ignored questions concerning the presence of oppressive hot air detected at the briefing.

Asked if Dolly was accompanied by a significant surge at South Padre Island, McCain said he would refer that question to General Petraeus.

[JaneEyrez]

Pure genius! Took me a while to figure out you were spoofing.

[vernonbc]

Priceless! You hit exactly the right tone. I love it.

[TellitLikeItIs]

marm: Hysterical--- but oh so true! And in spite of all that, Obama's still going to win.

I've decided that more reflection, and less reaction is my new personal goal. Not that it will be easy.....

Thanks for the best laugh of the day!!! :-)

[oogabooga]

Let's talk about a "surge" (escalation) in forces to FIX BUSH'S MESS right here at home. Obama discusses issues and solutions for our problems. McCain just talks about the "surge" in Iraq. War is the only thing the Republic Party offers Americans. War war war. Killing. War war war. What a sick bunch.

[TellitLikeItIs]

Excellent idea re: a "domestic surge". It is hard to overstate how much it will take to fix BushCo's 8 yr. malfesence of duty.