Hagel won't seek re-election

[LiberalAndProud]

Source: Lincoln Journal Star

Sen. Chuck Hagel will announce Monday he’ll not seek re-election next year.

Hagel also will tell an Omaha news conference he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008, clamping a lid on speculation he might be pondering a late-inning presidential bid.

In a prelude to Monday’s announcement, he conferred Friday with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Later, Hagel gathered his Washington staff together to inform them of his decision, according to sources close to the senator.


Read more: http://www.journalstar.com/news/politics/doc46e20fbfdc82c495856878.txt

[napi21]

1. I'll miss Hagel. He seemed like one of the good guys...at least for a

Pub. I'd much rather see a lot of ohers go instead of him.

[Bitwit1234]

9. Wasn't he afraid of Mitch McConnell

after all he likes to fondle someone else's private parts. I had to laugh when the guy announced about that, I had head it a long time ago after bush stole the first election. But I didn't put much stock in it til I see where the blogger Rogers says it is in the military record.

[TwilightGardener]

11. LOL! Are you saying Hagel was afraid Mitchy would feel him up?

Sexual harrassment in the Senate? :rofl:

[coalition_unwilling]

29. Incredibly conservative but good common sense on Iraq. -n/t

[Fainter]

41. Mebbe It's Part Of His Secret Plan To Seek The Nomination Of His Party. n/t

[Oceansaway]

2. .

perhaps him & Bloomberg will take a run on the Independent ticket....

[saltpoint]

3. Liked him on Bush's Iraq invasion, less so on most everything else.

I could sure go for a Democrat in that seat.

[More Than A Feeling]

4. Let us all welcome back Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) n/t

[TwilightGardener]

6. There's a few hurdles first, especially if Mike Johanns runs (he's

the Secretary of Agriculture, used to be Nebraska's governor).

[napi21]

10. I'm sure you know more about ME politics than I do, but Bob would be a

very welcome face in the Senate IMO! I really enjoy listening to him when he's on cspan panels. He also seems like he wouldn't be a chicken sh*t if he got in there! I sure hope the rumors of him running are true!

[TwilightGardener]

12. I'm not crazy about his pro-war position (hopefully it won't matter so

much vote-wise next year), but I'll take any D over the R's who are contemplating running, at this point. Kerrey is a smart man, and still well-regarded here, and I hope Hagel will do what he can to get his old buddy back into the Senate, even across party lines.

[SusanaMontana41]

17. Johanns is an idiot, isn't he?

One of the most fake politicians I've ever covered. Johanns would be awful. Jon Bruning would be disastrous.

[TwilightGardener]

18. I only had Johanns as my gov for a year before Chimpy stole him away.

So I didn't have time to form an opinion of him. I think he'd be better (more moderate) than Bruning--Bruning is such a slick, fake opportunist. He used to be a big-time Democrat, pro-choice and praising Bill and Hillary Clinton to the heavens, but then when he started his political career, Nebraska was turning deeply red, so the chameleon suddenly became a conservative Repub out of convenience--just like that. Ick. Bad. Very bad.

[SusanaMontana41]

19. I agree

Bruning would be worse. And neither one has the independent streak that Hagel has.

[TwilightGardener]

20. Yep--Hagel always thought for himself--I respect that. Very

nice write-up for him in the Omaha World Journal for tomorrow, BTW--usually the editors are pretty critical of him, so this was heart-warming:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10126829

[TheFarseer]

25. Johanns is stupid and a fake IMO

His favorite trick was to send completely unrealistic budgets to the Unicameral and then piss and moan when *they* raised taxes (or didn't cut them) and cut services. Then he would close down perfectly good prisons etc. in the west and build a whole new thing in the east to pander for votes or for business friends (I'm not sure which) The guy was a complete ass-clown and I hope he never gets elected to anything again. At least our current governor is a "do-nothing" That I can respect. If you can't think of anything to do, at least don't f*ck up!

Alot of people don't like Bob Kerry. His election will be no cake walk, that I can assure you of.

[Warren Stupidity]

27. why?

He is a neocon neoliberal and a self confessed war criminal.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Goodbye, Chuck. You were a worthy opponent on the other side, and

you fought the good fight, and kept your integrity and honor. (And you wrote back to me promptly, LOL!). A loss for the Senate, IMO.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. I like Chuck Hagel even if he is a conservative.

At least he seems to have some honor.

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. I agree

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. what's the matter Hagey? afraid your name is on somebody's list?...

just a feeling I have :evilgrin:

DC Madam or Flint?

[EFerrari]

24. That's what I thought, too. Maybe not sex, but something. n/t

[Purveyor]

13. Hagel could have a useful time in his lameduck stay in the Senate, "blue slip" and all...

[alcibiades_mystery]

14. I'd vote for him

n/t

[question everything]

16. Slowly but surely the "Grand Old Party" is turning into

a mean, petty party.

It is sad that moderates like Hagel and Warner and, yes, Chafee are replaced by the ones who care only about other people's personal lives.

[aquart]

21. LOL!

[acmavm]

22. Chuckie voted AGAINST healthcare for children. Chuckie is an

arch-conservative. Chuckie has a checkered past and is NOT above lying when he gets caught at something sneaky (see ES&S).

The ONLY stand Chuckie has ever taken that he should be commended for is his opposition to the 'war' in Iraq.

As for those who laud that major disappointment of a human being, Bob Kerrey, check out how he covered for the administration while he was on the 911 panel. Also, check out the reason why he dropped out of politics and went into education. He turned out to be on of those guys who everyone admired so much and for whom we all had such high expectations. What a disappointment.

[TheFarseer]

26. yeah, Hagel is NOT a good guy

He's voted with the repugs 98% of the time and he's leading the charge to send all the jobs overseas and to make sure rich people don't pay taxes.

Kerrey is only marginally better than Hagel in many regards, but he is certainly better.

[Chemical Bill]

42. I'm series.

How come none of these people who like Hagel remember anything about the election fraud of his first election?

In 1995, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska was the CEO of Election Systems and Software (ES&S), the voting machine company that would count the votes in his 1996 bid for the U.S. Senate. He was trailing in the pre-election polls to his opponent, former Gov. Ben Nelson, 65% to 18%, yet Hagel amazingly came from behind to win with 56% of the vote.

http://www.networkofcitizens.org/election/30ways.htm#(9)

Bill

[Ian David]

23. My guess is he got a call from Larry Flynt's office. n/t

[sofa king]

28. That's one more open race.

2008 is shaping up to be a good year--if we're still a republic by then.

[Vidar]

30. A decent man, for a Republican. Hopefully Bob Kerry can take the seat.

[AlCzervik]

31. does anybody have an idea as to why he's not running again? I read the article

but there wasn't anything really specific as to his reasons.

[Inuca]

32. Maybe we'll find out more

on Monday. I hope he will not just say that he wants to spend more time with his family. I am sorry he decided to give up, it IS a loss for the Senate.

[LiberalAndProud]

35. Fulfilling a promise.

In announcing his retirement, Mr. Hagel is fulfilling a promise that he made to voters when he first ran for the Senate in 1996 that we would retire after serving two terms. But his decision is the latest political setback for the Republican Party in its effort to prevent Democrats from extending their majority in Congress next year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/us/politics/08cnd-hagel.html

[AlCzervik]

36. wow and he's living up to it, good for him.

[DemKR]

33. Let me know where to send the check to Senator Kerrey

[cosmicdot]

34. is progress being made re the voting machines?

i.e. ES&S

Senator Hagel Admits Owning Voting Machine Company
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0301/S00166.htm

In 1996, Hagel became the first elected Republican Nebraska senator in 24 years when he did surprisingly well in an election where the votes were verified by the company he served as chairman and maintained a financial investment. In both the 1996 and 2002 elections, Hagel’s ES&S counted an estimated 80% of his winning votes. Due to the contracting out of services, confidentiality agreements between the State of Nebraska and the company kept this matter out of the public eye. Hagel’s first election victory was described as a “stunning upset” by one Nebraska newspaper.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm

[LiberalAndProud]

37. Wating for "policy makers" to "set a standard".

Tomorrow's Technology Today
Although current DRE technology provides a proven, accurate and reliable vote count, some are calling for DRE systems to include the capability to print a voter verification paper receipt. Though ES&S has assumed a leadership position in this discussion by developing prototype technology, policymakers must weigh the pros and cons and choose a direction. When a decision is made to move forward and standards are in place, ES&S stands ready to support implementation. At the same time, we would like to offer the following thoughts for consideration:

The current systems are fully auditable and secure. Accuracy can be verified for each terminal through electronic ballot records already stored within the terminals and with random audits of polling locations. Current review, testing practices, and procedures would detect any rogue, malicious, or fraudulent code, if present, within a DRE.
Managing the receipts raises some needs worth considering, such as physical storage space, mechanical printer maintenance, increased costs in hardware and election logistics, as well as additional procedures required for both the voter and the poll workers.

To be prepared, ES&S' current DRE technology has been built with the ability to support a printer, a prototype of which has been designed and demonstrated across the country. With clarity from election offices and governing bodies on specific standards, ES&S is prepared to turn the prototype into a certified, production ready unit.

http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/security.html

[Egnever]

38. wow these guys are drooping like flies

first Warner now Hagel whats going on in the puke party? Are we to be left with only the utter ass-hats like inhoff and sessions?

[w8liftinglady]

39. I'm hoping Hagel will become the next John Dean

I appreciate Dean's staightforwardness on KO,and could see Hagel playing a similar role in regards to the Iraq war.

[leaninglib]

40. Hmmm--I wonder if his brother will seek this abandoned seat?

[chiggerbit]

53. His brother?

Isn't his brother a Dem? That would be ok, if so.

[markbark]

43. Chuck Hagel Not Seeking Reelection

Source: Washington Post

OMAHA, Neb. -- Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, a thorn in his own party's side when it comes to Iraq, announced Monday he would retire from the Senate and not seek any elected office in 2008.

"I said after I was elected in 1996 that 12 years in the Senate would probably be enough, and it is," Hagel said.


His exit means one more seat the minority Republicans will be forced to defend, and both parties are expected to bring in heavy hitters to vie for the spot. The contenders could include Democrat Bob Kerrey, a former U.S. Senator and governor, and Republican Mike Johanns, the U.S. agriculture secretary and another former governor.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/10/AR2007091000789.html?hpid=topnews

---

HOW many seats ARE the Republic Party going to lose in 2008?

--MAB

[TwilightGardener]

44. Saw the tail-end of that presser here on local TV--

A guy stood up and said he wasn't a reporter, but just a citizen from the Sandhills, and that he was proud of Hagel--Hagel looked like he was going to choke up, but kept it under control. Nice moment. Hopefully, Kerrey will get in pretty soon--we need to get this ball rolling, because Jon Bruning (Repug Nebraska Atty General and all-around asshole opportunist) has a head start. This should be one hell of a race.

[chiggerbit]

45. Oh, great...

...Bob Kerry, the terrorist of Thanh Phong. Expect more spin, like that spoken about in this article. I just about gagged back when I heard that Kerrey had been appointed to the 9/11 commission: a terrorist investigating...terrorism.

http://www.media-criticism.com/Kerrey_Vietnam_2001.html

Why does media ‘frame’ the Bob Kerrey
in Vietnam story the way it does?

A recent New York Times article (4/25/01) alleging that former Senator Bob Kerrey was involved in Vietnam War atrocities at a village named Thanh Phong posed some interesting challenges to the Washington Post. Although this story has finally drawn critical attention towards Kerrey, the Post’s efforts at spin control speaks volumes about how the mainstream media protects those with power and privilege.

Bob Kerrey received a Bronze Star after reporting that his SEAL unit killed 21 members of the Viet Cong in Thanh Phong on 2/25/1969. (This medal has been featured in all of his political campaigns.) The New York Times article reported that Gerhard Klann, a member of the SEAL team, is still haunted by the memories of what Kerrey’s Raiders really did. According to Klann, the team was ordered by Kerrey to kill the peasant inhabitants of a small dwelling there. (The team, deep in enemy territory, believed they were endangered if living witnesses of their presence survived.)

Klann says that Kerrey personally assisted with the throat-cutting of an elderly peasant, and that some babies were executed along with the rest. In response, Kerrey publicly disputes Klann’s account, saying that the SEAL team was being fired upon when they fired blindly in the dark, killing all of the civilians. (Many consider this feat to be highly unlikely.)

Kerrey also acknowledges that the bodies were grouped together execution-style, but insists that the team didn’t conduct cold-blooded murder. Kerrey has also impugned Klann’s character by suggesting that he is an unstable drunk.

It is not this author’s intention to criticize Kerrey here for what was probably a common activity in Vietnam. Instead, the issue is how the influential Washington Post dealt with the publication of Klann’s version of the Thanh Phong story.

In short, the Washington Post whitewashed the news. Shortly after the Thanh Phong story (April 27, 2001) broke they ran a large photograph on its front page. It is a picture of a deeply sad Kerrey with a facial expression that suggests he’s about to cry. Behind Kerrey, there’s a blurry image of the flag. Everywhere else in the picture is darkness.

The photograph certainly looks staged. It is so perfectly composed to convey acceptance for Kerrey that it looks as if it came from a PR firm. Even more extraordinary is the caption which appeared above the photo (and just underneath the masthead): “Anguished Memories, Strong Support.”

Remember, this is the front page, not the editorial page. Yet, the Post’s caption (in the most prominent place physically possible) reads like an instruction from our government for us to follow. The Official Story, then, is that Kerrey is sorry; and there’s “strong support” (e.g., from the nation, the Post, etc.) on behalf of this plainly suffering man.

If you read the Post that day you may have found this critical paragraph: “ said his squad was fired upon at night, that it returned fire and that children and women died. At the same time, he conceded that their bodies were found grouped together in the middle of the tiny village of Thanh Phong in a manner suggestive of an execution. Another member of his unit, Gerhard Klann, has said Kerrey ordered his men to round up and kill the villagers.”

Obviously, these are extraordinary revelations for a Presidential hopeful for 2004. Certainly, the staged photograph and the extraordinary what-you-should-think caption on the front page are designed to discourage people from diving into the issue and finding that paragraph.

Regular Mediawise readers understand the pattern: The Post provides different functions for the masses and with their elite readers. For the general public, the Post is saying don’t get too worked up; we’re all behind him. For the readers more in the know, that paragraph explains the situation and what the Post plans to work for.

The Post continued to pull out all the stops for Kerrey for several weeks. Two days later (4/29/01), their damage-control team put out an article entitled “Kerrey Team Takes Issue with Report.” In it we learn that in 1998, on the eve of what appeared to be the likely publication of an article in Newsweek on the matter, Kerrey met with the other six of the seven members of the SEAL team to corroborate their stories. (the Post never mentioned that the Washington Post Company also owns Newsweek. Also, the Post never questioned Newsweek’s decision to spike the story, suggesting it is okay for a Senator to be an alleged war criminal.)

Coming three years after that meeting, the Washington Post's article is not offered as criticism that the six men met to work on their stories. Instead, without irony we’re reassured, “The group issued a unanimous statement after the meeting, disputing key elements of a starkly different version of events given by Gerhard Klann.”

Op-eds came in by droves in support of Kerrey. On the same day (4/29/01) as the Post’s gleeful report that the rest of the SEAL team disputes Klann’s version came an editorial written by Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Within the border of the editorial is yet another photograph of Kerrey looking gravely concerned. The first sentence of the editorial, “War is hell,” conveys perfectly what is on the minds of the three Senators: Kerrey should not be investigated for war crimes.

It took several weeks after the New York Times article before the Washington Post published an article that acknowledged some of the weaknesses of Kerrey’s claims. This came when they ran a front-page article that included interviews with Vietnamese survivors of the Thanh Phong atrocity. (As of May 22, the Post had not yet archived this article on their website, another familiar practice with them.)

Even with the belated article critical of Kerrey, at no point did the Washington Post offer their readers the big picture. They haven’t mentioned that Kerrey’s deeds in Thanh Phong were almost certainly part of a larger operation known as Operation Phoenix. Readers of the alternative media are familiar with this CIA-sponsored death squad and terror program where tens of thousands of innocent Vietnamese were killed in an unsuccessful effort to demoralize the enemy.

The Post’s coverage of the Bob Kerrey-in-Thanh Phong story makes sense from a business perspective. The Washington Post is in the business of selling advertising. They keep their advertisers happiest if they frame the news in a light that causes the buying public the least amount of distress.

Still, there’s a time when the public needs to know the awful truths about our political figures. The Washington Post's blatant spin control on behalf of Bob Kerrey suggests they actually prefer working to keep the war-crime allegations of our political leaders hushed up.

Scott Loughrey

[TwilightGardener]

46. This is one man's word against another's, unless someone

else comes forward. If enough people are willing to stand by Kerrey and his version of events, I don't see a cause for alarm. For all we know, this Klann fellow could be a member of the Swiftboater clan, or he might truly be mentally unsound. His version needs to be corroborated by more witnesses before we start tossing around the "war criminal" moniker--that does a tremendous disservice to a man that served and lost his leg in that war.

[chiggerbit]

47. Fine...

....here are some other articles on Kerry. I've had to test the links, as all were old, and have included the article of the one that wasn't current. One of these articles is even a glowing commendation of Kerry ~ahem~ , and one's not even about Nam. Anyway, I hope these are clickable.

http://www.mishalov.com/Kerrey.html

http://www.gregoryvistica.com/kerreyReviewSunGlobe.htm

http://strategypage.com/onpoint/articles/2004618.asp

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/pagesix_u.htm

BOB Kerrey flopped before he could flip as a mayoral candidate by bowing out before he was even in the race. Now some colleagues at the New School University, where he's president, have gotten fed up with Kerrey's capriciousness.

"The guy's out of control," one member of the university's board of governors told PAGE SIX. "After renewing his contract till 2011, he threw his name into the mix as a candidate to chair the Democratic National Committee, to head Democrats for Bloomberg, then to run for mayor of New York. Now he has decided to stay at the New School. Until when?"

In the meantime, Kerrey, the former governor of Nebraska who once dated Debra Winger, "forced out" well-respected dean Ann-Louise Shapiro and trustee Anne Ehrenkranz. He also ended an affiliation with the Actors Studio and James Lipton, star of the long-running Bravo show "Inside the Actors Studio."

"Kerrey did not like the control Lipton had over the program, so he refused to renew their contract and told Lipton to take a hike," said the board member.

The move could force the venerable Actors Studio, which was provided space and financial support by the New School, to find a new home with another institution.

Kerrey "pulled the plug on the Actors Studio, a major strategic move, when his own credibility is in tatters," the insider fumed.

A prominent Democrat, amazed at Kerrey's feints at running for president, DNC chair, and mayor, said, "He's worse than a flake. He's a guy who misses the political action. His grandstanding during the 9/11 commission annoyed Democrats and Republicans alike. And he clearly sought to be John Kerry's running mate."

Sources said Kerrey also made a mistake forcing Ehrenkranz off the board out of annoyance that her husband, Joel, had given $3 million to NYU, where Joel is a trustee.

"Kerrey told her to step down, forfeiting her financial support, active program support and the opportunity to cultivate a future seven-figure bequest to the New School," said our source.

"The real concern is the damage Kerrey is inflicting on the New School, which he is obviously using as his personal pulpit," our insider said.

A call to Kerrey's office for a response was not returned.

[TwilightGardener]

48. I couldn't care less about his New School tenure--to me, that's just

infighting and office politics. I don't see conclusive proof that he deserves to be called a war criminal--there's no question that he killed civilians, but that happened often in Vietnam--I won't judge, I wasn't there. The fact that other vets sympathize with him tells me they don't see his experience as either unusual or worthy of condemnation. That was such an awful war, such an awful period in our history, and he was a young officer who was in charge of keeping his men alive. I don't feel there's enough of a strong, corroborated account to hold this against him.

[chiggerbit]

50. Interesting...

...that you won't judge Kerrey (most likely without even reading the evidence against him) but then are willing to cast aspersions on another person by your speculation.


"...For all we know, this Klann fellow could be a member of the Swiftboater clan..."

[chiggerbit]

49. I should add...

...that I'm not a disinterested observer. I've been following Kerrey's career ever since I first got on the net. My husband was a Nam draftee who, the couple of times he was willing to discuss news about atrocities that had happened over there, said that those of us who hadn't been over there just didn't understand what a person can do when they are afraid for their very lives. As well, I've read Robert J. Lifton's book, Home from the War, so I think I have a crude understanding of what was going on, and I don't judge, usually. BUT, when a man like Kerrey trashes the reputation of another man, Klann, for his own personal benefit, that I do criticize. What a puke.

My husband , by the way, came home from Nam totally disillusioned about our country's involvement in that war and all the rest from that time until he died in the early 1990's. He had no respect for all the propaganda, was convinced that nearly always there were ulterior motives.

[chiggerbit]

51. Regarding the original topic..

...of this article, Hagel's resignation, I'd like to comment on an interesting unintended consequence of the last few years, namely the reduction of moderate Republicans in Congress, through election defeats ((Representative Leach, for instance) or through resignations. It's as if the only Republicans who are being re-elected are from the extreme right. I find that odd, but maybe it's to be expected. I'm wondering about the impact that might have for the future, say on the polarization of politics. I long for the days when being a John Bircher was something to be ashamed of, rather than the way it is now, with the word"liberal" being a dirty word and a label that too many Dem candidates run away from.

[TwilightGardener]

52. There's no question that the Republican party has been bastardized

into a weird group of neocons and evangelical nutjobs. Normal, sane, old-fashioned Repubs like Hagel and Warner are leaving for good reason--they're now outsiders in their own party. It's a shame--the philosophical differences between Dems and Repubs used to be notable but relatively benign (big vs. small gov, more taxes vs. less taxes, social tradition vs social change)--now, it's a matter of Dems vs. bloodthirsty, terror-and-Islam fearing, war-profiteering crazies who care too much about enforcing the fundie Christian way of life.

[Baron Harkonen]

54. excellent...