Hagel: McCain On "Thin Ground" With Recent Attacks

On CBS' "Face The Nation," Chuck Hagel responded to John McCain's recent attacks on Barack Obama's trip abroad and withdrawal plan: "John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives and when we start to get into, 'You're less patriotic than me. I'm more patriotic ... "it's just not responsible to be saying things like that."

Hagel also said he doesn't think McCain's new ad bashing Obama for not visiting troops in Germany is "appropriate."

Partial transcript:

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me just ask you this, Senator Hagel. You're a Republican. For a long time you were very, very close to John McCain-I want to ask you later, are you still that close-but he has been very, very hard on Senator Obama all this week. And I mean the gloves have really come off. This morning in an interview on ABC he said, I think it was seven times, that Senator Obama simply doesn't understand the stakes in Iraq. he doesn't understand the situation there. And earlier in week, we'll look at some tape here, here is how he put it at one point.

JOHN MCCAIN: Senator Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a campaign.

BOB SCHIEFFER: He said this morning that Senator Obama's strategy was based, basically, on political expediency, that he chose-and these are Senator McCain's words-"a political path that would get him the nomination."

CHUCK HAGEL: Well, let me begin by making this comment in answering your question. Both of these men are smart, capable, decent men who love their country. I think we, as a nation, are far better off for these two capable men-one will have to govern this country and bring the country together as well as lead the world and bring the world together-and that's going to take a bipartisan consensus, to govern. They're better off to focus on policy differences. I think John is treading on some very thin ground here when he impugns motives and when we start to get into, "You're less patriotic than me. I'm more patriotic." I admire and respect John McCain very much. I have a good relationship. To this day we do. We talk often. I talked to him right before I went to Iraq, as a matter of fact. John's better than that. And he's not asked for advice on this, but since you've asked me the question, I think both he and Barack have to be very careful here because it's just not responsible to be saying things like that.

...

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well let me-just in line with what you said, the McCain campaign came out with a new ad because Senator Obama chose not to visit those troops in the hospital in Germany. Let's take a look at this.

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NARRATOR: Barack Obama never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan. He hadn't been to Iraq in years. He voted against funding our troops. And now he made time to go to the gym but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras. John McCain is always there for our troops. McCain-country first.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

...

CHUCK HAGEL: Let me add to that. As you know, Bob, the congressional delegation that you referred to ended when we parted in Jordan. At that point, it was a political trip for Senator Obama. I think it would have been inappropriate for him and certainly he would have been criticized by the McCain people and the press and probably should have been if on a political trip in Europe paid for by political funds-not the taxpayers-to go, essentially, then and be accused of using our wounded men and women as props for his campaign. I think the judgment there-and I don't know the facts by the way. I know what you've just read. No one has asked me about it other than what you've just asked about. But I think it would be totally inappropriate for him on a campaign trip to go to a military hospital and use those soldiers as props. So I think he probably, based on what I know, he did the right thing. We saw troops everywhere we went on the congressional delegation. We went out of our way to see those troops. We wanted to see those troops. And that's part of our job to see those troops, by the way, and listen to those troops, Bob. And we did.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Do you think that ad was appropriate?

CHUCK HAGEL: I do not think it was appropriate.

BOB SCHIEFFER: You do not.

CHUCK HAGEL: I do not.

Read more of the transcript here.

Comments

[MargaretO]

How refreshing. A decent comment out of a Republican's mouth.

[Bushwillresign]

How can he be a republican if he told the truth? I guess we could call him a "good republican".

[Bushwillresign]

Thank you, by the way, Mr. hagel. It is great to hear republicans that can tell the truth. The ones I know are still talking about WMD's. Oh and also talking about Clinton.

[kellygrrrl]

I thought the breed was all but extinct

[gevan]

Since the former maverick McCain drank the Bush Kool-aid it naturaly follows that he would adopt the policy of lie, lie, lie.

[Call me Sweety]

Thank you Chuck Hagel....You said exactly what the country needs to hear from a Republican. I applaud you.

[RobertAndropolis]

After blantant disregard for journalistic ethics in the egregious re-edit of the Couric-McCain interview, CBS might consider renaming this program to "Face Your Own Sh*t." Schieffer sounds really disappointed that Hagel thought McCain's ad using the troops--saying Obama was desiring to use the troops if only the pentagon would have let him bring a camera crew--was inappropriate.

Moonves: "Sheiffer, Couric, my office. Now."

[Mattie]

I do like Chuck Hagel, just think how great a Biden, Hagel ticket would have been!

[RobertAndropolis]

So...you're opposed to an Obama/Hagel ticket? Care to tell everyone why?

[kadene]

"would be". it's not over yet.

[nellie]

Hagel is a mixed bag. Look at his voting record. And I don't like the "I think both he and B arack have to be very careful here because it's just not responsible to be saying things like that" BOTH? I don't remember any "he's not patriotic" comments coming from O.

[lincheryl]

I think both guests were saying "both" at times with an obvious inferrence that they were talking about McCain.

[jupitor]

Chuck Hagel is an intelligent man who has done Nebraska proud! I think a lot of people just didn't look at his party line much! He was right on Iraq, and no matter what they tried to color that war as, It was a wrong war and people like him an Obama stood against it! We need more intelligent people like them in washington! chuck Hagel wants tougher laws for import an export that will protect our country, but at the same time will benefit. He comes from a farm state that needs export money to survive. His country is a clean air country, not smog an greed like so many of them are! Beautiful Lakes that suffered from drought untill this year when they finallly filled back up and are thriveing again from tourist to those lake area's, and wild life abunance in Ne. Not many people give that state a second thought in passing, but it seems Obama wants to learn from all our states, and find out what they need to survive and thrive! Yes, Chuck hagel would make a wonderful V/P for Obama!

[Heavy]

Hagel should either be VP, or in an exhibit of a republican with integrity. We could solve the countries problems selling tickets

[zippywpinhead]

H.agel holds too many positions antithetical to progressive ideals to be VP, Just because he opposes the war it doesn't make him a good potential pick. That being said, he deserves credit as being part of the 'loyal opposition', an honorable man who happens to sincerely disagree on certain issues without resorting to the hate and name calling so common these days...

[Heavy]

Granted you guys are right. But he is not going to be the policy maker in the same way that Cheney was. It would afford a lot of the republicans who are fed up with neocons an excuse to step to the other side. Hopefully they will anyway. My biggest concern is having an election that is even close after 00 and 04, unless we have a paper trail.

[BardEric]

VP? I don't really think that is what Barack has in mind for Chuck. Hagel makes an excellent mouthpiece for him. He can attack McCain so Barack is spared the baggage of going negative, AND if Hagel accidently says something out of line like some of the other candidate-surrogates this season, Barack 's camp can say "well after all he IS a republican, and doesnt speak for us or the democratic party." Kind of a brillant stratagy, if you ask me.

[Wildcatdiva]

hagel should not be vp under any circumstances. he is still a good friend of the right and mcnothingdoneright. 0 wants a bi partisan cabinet., i guess i could stomach him somewhere in that area.

[Nolewoman]

I agree. No VP for Hagel, we don't want a republican a heartbeat away from the presidency, but a good cabinet position would be great. He would be a way to bring bipartisianship to Obama's administration, a reach across the aisle.

[ErnestineBass]

Mc Cain's probably treading on "shaky ice", too.

[Scarllatti]

I was just watching Zacharia GPS on CNN discuss European views on Barack Obama and McCain and I learnt a few more things from the two distinguished journalists on the show. According to these men, Barack is very popular in Europe because Europeans are projecting their love and desire to reconnect with America on Obama. I also learnt that John McCain is NON-EXISTENT in the Europeans media and subconscious. To them, McCain and the GOP is everything that has gone wrong with this nation. Well to some of my never-traveled and "arrogant" country men, the usual thing is to say, "who cares what the British, German, Italian, Spaniard or French think about us". While this assertion may make those who hold this view 'cool", it is an obvious fact that we are still sharing this planet with these Europeans and that majority of Americans can trace their origins to Europe.
My gut feeling is that, should should McCain be "selected", we will see a rise in politicians and presidential candidates in Europe who will run elections as anti-American and not wanting to get involved with what they will brand cleaning up American's poop whenever we get involved militarily or otherwise any where in the world. No matter what we may think of ourselves here in America, great empires have fallen even with all the ammunition and bombs tied to their waist. We need all the cooperation we can get from our allies without sacrificing our national security.

[FogBelter]

I wonder what the "Thin Ground" is that Senator Hagel is referring too? Perhaps it has to do with McCain not supporting Webb's GI Bill? That's a lot more significant than postponing a visit to a Military Hospital, in my opinion.

[Amalek]

Thin ground? I think he means thin ice. The state of English in this country is appalling.

[ErnestineBass]

Perhaps it's a colloquialism peculiar to Nebraska.

[Luigi53102]

Maybe the Platte River ("too thin to plow, too thick to drink")

Easily forgiven in the context of an intelligent statement.

[lincheryl]

And when YOU last spoke on national tv, I guess you were perfect.

[FaceYourFears]

Thin ground, sinking sand both the same!

[dagnew]

Thin ground/thin ice..............and this matters, how?

[Insearchoftruth]

The Commander and Chief of the Surge used to talk like Hagel. Which is to say that McCain sold his soul to the Neocons.

[RJII]

McCain is using ailing soldiers in his ads to attack Obama and boost his poll ratings. How disgusting and un becoming a presidential candidate.

What if those soldiers are Obama supporters. How can he speak for them when he too wasn't there.

[coleburt11]

This is absurd. Mccain has repeatedly said in the past that he would run a civil campaign, yet he still runs this trash on air. Obama visited the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq with the CODEL, when it really mattered. When Obama didn't go to the troops in Germany he was no longer with Reed or Hagel, and decided it would be seen in a purely political light.

Shame on you John Mccain for being a lying conniving politician with only yourself in mind.

[guitrock]

Senator Hagel has said that the Republican party that he first voted for while lying on a tank in Vietnam is not the party of today. He said the problem with the party is that "we are not who we say we are." He's sick of the stuff he has to say as a partisan and quit the race. What you hear from him now is what he believes. He knows that McCain is way off base on the war and in his personal attacks.

Hagel has nothing to lose and everything to gain by speaking the truth about a war he basically said he was duped into by the White House. I can't see Hagel staying in the party after his term ends at the end of the year. I hope he becomes an independent political commentator and stays on the national scence. He's a good man.