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

[Americatortures]

Anyone know what Hagel's social positions are?? Abortion,etc??

[JimR]

He is conservative on most issues and is pro-life, but I for one, do not think every potential VP should have to meet some sort of abortion litmus test.

[demigod]

Yes, they DO have to be right on abortion. If Obama were to pass and Hagel became President, he'd appoint "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court. Hagel is a filthy Republican, just not as bad as most.

[Galt907]

We can't leave Iraq until we have victory. However, no one can define victory, so we can never leave. Or, We have to stay till the situation in Iraq is stabilized, now that it is stabilized we have to stay because it is stabilized.

Who wants to tell the family of the last soldier to die in Iraq why?

[dhinds]

The Surge: Yet another fraud committed by those pretending that WINNING something (contracts for mercenaries like Blackwater and Halliburton, access to nationalized Iraq's oil by the American Oil Cartel, body bags, artificial limbs and stress therapy for the troops, windfall profits for the Chinese banks funding the war, loss of one-third of the dollar's buying power, loss of the USA's credibility, increased justification and more targets for suicide and IED bombers); while Iraqi Nationalists and their Islamic supporters either bide their time (and many are being paid to do so by the Bush administration) or disperse and regroup wherever the troops aren't. Some Win.

One of two men will become President on January 20th and all one of them knows is how to bomb. He learned nothing in or from Vietnam and anyone wanting yet more of that can vote for McSame (already brain-dead and held to the White Whale of WINNING by his own bellicose ties, the Admiral's son is ready to ride that whale all the down to the bottom, still beckoning, Follow Me, Follow Me)!

Not this time.

Americans have finally awoken and the attempts by a few to defocus the issue, plant mistrust and slander an intelligent, organized and committed young politician with real answers to today's pressing problems won't do the job this time around - and they already know it.

[fluffytoes]

The "surge" only underscores how unprepared and understaffed the Iraq war was from the get-go. So if you think the "surge" was a good idea, you're admitting the war up to that point was badly planned and poorly executed; you're admtting that George W. Doofus screwed up big-time.

And all of this surge chatter, of course, ignores the fact that Afghanistan is a hellhole that George W. Clueless abandoned to fight his War of Imperialism in Iraq.

[bobapsu]

The SURGE hasn't worked yet..! Here's why, WE CAN'T SUSTAIN IT LONG ENOUGH FOR ITS EFFECTS TO BECOME PERMANENT.­..

I opposed the surge because I believed the number and condition of the U.S. Military could not sustain it long enough for any gains to hold. Indeed right now Afghanistan is heading toward chaos and deperately needs an infusion of troops. Where will they come from? Hmmm.... Yeah come see me when both Iraq and Afghanistan are stable enough to survive as "democracies" on their own. Our only hope is to enlist our allies to help in Afghanistan. WHo do you think has a better chance of making that happen, Obama or McCain (see articles on Obama European trip). Thank you for your attention.

[rwe]

NO wonder he does not want to talk about it, Like the Obamassiah he was dead wrong ... Obama and the rest are wearing flag pins , they are white

[LibDrummer]

I realize you have been told to paroit that he was wrong about the surge but can you quote Obama on anything he said wrong about the surge? Anything?

[RGoetz]

Amen Senator Hagel...se­ems like you are driving the Straight Talk Express and Grandpa McBush in not on board.

[MaryfromMontcoPA]

funny how the neocons keep moving the goal posts about the definition of "success" for the surge... kinda like how they kept moving the goal posts about why we should start an illegal "preemptive" war of aggression, ravage a country with a fairly brutal occupation, and remove a sovereign country's leader (who may have visited evil on his citizens, but was a midget at it compared with Bush/Cheney's misuse of our military power and mercenaries).

It "worked"? Gimme a break!

How do you "win" an occupation? How does a war crime "succeed"?

[philosopherkingtomas]

it was AL Sadr not the surge that calmned things down,,,,,
McCain-Bush doesnt realize it, he is just pouting about being ignored!

[sandpiper1]

I agree, and Anbar Awakening must be given credit also. They started the ball rolling because AQ was killing their people and trying to impose their fundamentalist view on the Sunnis which they rejected. Remember, AQ had no traction while Saddam was around, he hated them. Iraq was a secular country. I hope it will be after the US leaves. Sadr came on board by calling for a cease fire with his troops. As Obama stated, we dont' know if the Iraquis would have succeded on their own because the surge was sent in. Also Saudi Arabia and another Arab country got involved by paying these factions to cease the fighting. There are/were too many variables at play to determine who won what. McCain can't see beyong his nose. He has no idea of subtle or nauance effects.
OBAMA RULES!!!
OBAMA08

[IowaKid]

Thank you Senator Hagel. Though I do not agree with all that you represent in this case I do. It is time to get on with our future instead of constantly looking back and pointing fingers at each other.

[zakwouldhave]

Obama/Hagel '08. It would be hard for the right wing nuts to criticize or to tear down an administra­tion(which is the only thing they are good at lately) that is so balanced.
And yes please get over the surge. We all are happy violence is down...tim­e to move forward.

[zakwouldhave]

Obama/Hagel '08. It would be hard for the right wing nuts to criticize or to tear down an administra­tion(which is the only thing they are good at lately) that is so balanced.

[jdenham]

Senator Hagel is right. George Bush is working hard to get John McCain elected, but doing little if anything to manage the Wars in Iraq and Afganistran. Afganistan needs at least 2 brigades of troops, but George Bush will not act. We can not expect Nato to send anymore troops, because the other member Nations do not like George Bush and will not send their country men to die for him.
John McCain and George Bush could pull troops from Iraq and send them to reinforce Afganistan, but they wont act.
What I really question is if we can not reinforce Afganistan with more troops, what would happen if we were faced with a threat here in America? Do we have troops that could deploy to stop a threat here at home or in other parts of the world? Tactically are we overstreched?

[dadw5boys]

THE SURGE ONLY WORKED AFTER BUSH PUT THE ATTACKERS ON THE PAYROLLS!!!!!!

PAID THEM NOT TO ATTACK!!!!

[Highwind]

What Obama should say, is that he doesn't have to acknowledge anything because the our troops shouldn't be in Iraq in the first place. GWB approved the surge so he could clean up the mess he had made. Most of the people that were attacking the troops were not Al-Qaeda but Iraqis who didn't like the fact the US came over and bombed their city and their houses. That would be my response.