Republican Senator (Hagel) RIPS Bush on Iraq Strategy

[DoveTurnedHawk]

Sen. Chuck Hagel, an influential moderate Republican from Nebraska, sharply criticized the Bush administration in an interview here Tuesday, saying that the war in Iraq appears to have hurt America in its battle against terrorism.

Hagel, a politician sometimes mentioned as a future presidential contender, also said the United States is going to have to consider restarting the draft to maintain its many military commitments abroad.

In a sharp critique of the leader of his own party, Hagel said he believes the occupation of Iraq by the American military was poorly planned and has spread terrorist cells more widely around the world.

"This put in motion a new geographic dispersion" of the terrorists, said Hagel, 58, in an interview before delivering a speech to the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles. "It's harder to deal with them because they're not as contained. Iraq has become a training ground."

He added that although it is too soon to judge how the war in Iraq will ultimately influence the war on terror, in the short term it has created more terrorists and given them more targets -- American soldiers.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/30/MNGTS7E5RK1.DTL

DTH

[havocmom]

1. Once again, havocmom advises: Beware the dark horse candidate

being the October Surprise, too late in the game to be dealt with effectively in a campaigne and early enough for the neocons to have the shrub decide he needs to spen more time with the family.

Hagel seems to pop up when the malAdministration is being kicked hard.

What can DU Hagel watchers tell us about him, besides the fact that he ran companies that do BBV machines?

[DoveTurnedHawk]

2. I Think October Is Too Late for Many Ballots

If Bush decides not to stand for re-selection (a prospect I'd never thought even the slightest bit likely, until recently, and even now I rate the odds at less than 5%), I think realistically, he'd have to make that decision before their convention in early September.

DTH

[David Zephyr]

7. What Election?

http://theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040625/APP/406250908

[denverbill]

3. Better Hagel than Bush.

There is no doubt in my mind about that. Given a Bush v Kerry race that was a toss-up or a Hagel v Kerry race that would be a Hagel landslide, I'd choose the latter. I'd take a moderate Republican over a chance of Bush anytime.

[sandnsea]

6. Dems=Pubs

Funny how Dems obviously don't = Pubs when you put somebody like Hagel next to somebody like Kerry. I'd choose Hagel over Bush in a heart beat too, but it sure seems to show there's obviously a difference between Democrats and Republicans when you compare a moderate Republican to just about any Democrat.

[goforit]

13. He sounds a little more Pro- war than Bush......"the draft?"

Our military is despised around the world and Hagel wants to multiply the numbers out there?????

There is no F*cking sense to this madness!!!!!

We should apologize for oppressing so many not sending more
people out there to die for nothing!!!

Why do they want there fingers in everyone's business 24/7???

Let people live their own lives.........IN PEACE!!!!!!!!!

[shanti]

16. that takes care of the shrub

now what about the big dick?

[Barrett808]

5. Jebbie: "The people of San Francisco are an endangered species." n/t

[Snow]

9. He won election to the senate in an election where he

had been waaay behind in the polling - and he won waaay ahead. He is a part of the whole Omaha World-Herald business and the voting machine company connected with that, which manufactured the machines used in the election that he won. I haven't watched him that much since I left Nebraska in spring of 2002, but he's very much a part of the Nebraska oligarch inner circle. Interesting that he's speaking out more against bush than Nebraska's Democratic senator.

[havocmom]

10. yeah, I knew about the voting machines (BBV) He headed the company

if I recall, that counted the votes which gave him a near-landslide. Yeah, he needs to be watched closely. The puppetmasters know their boys bush* & Cheney are sinking fast. Power does not give up. The people who pull the strings will be looking for a pretty face to put in front of the people.

Kerry will win if the votes are counted fairly. But the junta has made a mess and one term will not fix it. Kerry will have a very rough 4 years. Hagel will put a lot of distance between himself and bush* now and watch him raise hell when Kerry sneezes for the next few years.

Same story, different page. The powers that be will keep grooming poster boys for front men for their macinations. Since this particular poster boy also counts votes...

Man, we gotta help Bev Harris close this BBV s**t down. Doesn't matter how we vote if they don't get counted. Programmable election results are not a good thing and the gentleman from Nebraska has way too much sway with the computers.

[acmavm]

11. The company is ES&S. And he lied about owning part of the company.

And ES&S is still out there and we're still fighting it.

BUT, having said that, Hagel is more of a democrat than our democratic senator, Ben Nelson (who is a repub in sheep's clothing).

[wryter2000]

4. I hate it when a commercial slogan expresses it best

But I'm loving it. Every time I hear about a repug jumping ship it suggests to me that we won't just get rid of the chimp. We may actually save the country from the lot of them.

[JPZenger]

8. Hagel for VP?

One commentator mentioned Chuck Hagel as a possible VP choice for Kerry - as part of a coalition ticket.

[lostnfound]

12. After election fraud, I don't care what he has to say..He needs scrutiny.

Even if he is now "against Bush".

Hagel is being pushed upwards at lightning speed by unseen forces, and I think we should be worried about him in the future.

[proud patriot]

14. silly Rabbit Trix are for kids

[hansolsen]

15. Hagel hedging bets

When I hear this kind of speech by a Republican standing in the wings, I conclude that the Grand Poobahs of the Repub Party are somewhat less than 100% certain they really want Shrub heading the Ticket this November. There is still plenty of time before the convention.

And how would you like to be planning that convention? Do you think there might be any protests even if no parade permits are issued?? They probably wouldn't protest candidate Hagel

Just thinking out loud.

[struggle4progress]

17. kick

:kick: