Don't mess with Chuck Hagel, Kick and Reccomend if you like

[loyalkydem]

Chuck Who?

Chuck Hagel celebrated the end of a Washington career by attacking Rush Limbaugh and others in Congress who disagreed with him.

“We are educated by the great entertainers like Rush Limbaugh,” Hagel said Tuesday during a speech in Washington, according to the Huffington Post.

“You know, I wish Rush Limbaugh and others like that would run for office,” a sarcastic Hagel continued. “They have so much to contribute and so much leadership and they have an answer for everything. And they would be elected overwhelmingly. they try to rip everyone down and make fools of everybody but they don’t have any answers.”

“The American people don’t like what is going on… they want us to start doing what leaders are expected to do, address the problems, find some consensus to governing. Get along. There will be disagreements, sure… but in the end we can’t hold ourselves captives to this raw, partisan, political paralysis.”

Quoted from Keith Olberman earlier tonight

[bdamomma]

1. I want him in the Obama administration.

wasn't he being considered for something.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. He was famous for starting diebold and coming to power in an upset on those machines.

He would be handy if Obama falls out of favor with voters and needs to stay in power another 4 years.

[KittyWampus]

6. It wasn't an upset. And he didn't "start" Diebold.

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Your right it was ESS. And yes, it was an upset

http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2004/03/03_200.html
While Diebold has received the most attention, it actually isn't the biggest maker of computerized election machines. That honor goes to Omaha-based ES&S, and its Republican roots may be even stronger than Diebold's.

The firm, which is privately held, began as a company called Data Mark, which was founded in the early 1980s by Bob and Todd Urosevich. In 1984, brothers William and Robert Ahmanson bought a 68 percent stake in Data Mark, and changed the company's name to American Information Services (AIS). Then, in 1987, McCarthy & Co, an Omaha investment group, acquired a minority share in AIS.

In 1992, investment banker Chuck Hagel, president of McCarthy & Co, became chairman of AIS. Hagel, who had been touted as a possible Senate candidate in 1993, was again on the list of likely GOP contenders heading into the 1996 contest. In January of 1995, while still chairman of ES&S, Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald that he would likely make a decision by mid-March of 1995. On March 15, according to a letter provided by Hagel's Senate staff, he resigned from the AIS board, noting that he intended to announce his candidacy. A few days later, he did just that.

A little less than eight months after steppind down as director of AIS, Hagel surprised national pundits and defied early polls by defeating Benjamin Nelson, the state's popular former governor. It was Hagel's first try for public office. Nebraska elections officials told The Hill that machines made by AIS probably tallied 85 percent of the votes cast in the 1996 vote, although Nelson never drew attention to the connection. Hagel won again in 2002, by a far healthier margin. That vote is still angrily disputed by Hagel's Democratic opponent, Charlie Matulka, who did try to make Hagel's ties to ES&S an issue in the race and who asked that state elections officials conduct a hand recount of the vote. That request was rebuffed, because Hagel's margin of victory was so large.


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

[Egnever]

11. That may be true but it doesnt take away from the fact

that he defied bush over and over when many dems were bending over for him. Nor does it take away from the fact that he promised to resign after this term and he is sticking to it.

In a sea of yes men for Bush Hagel time and again stood up and got counted over the last 8 years. At least when it came to foreign policy. He is the Maveric in his party mcsame pretends to be.

[msongs]

2. yeah now that he is leaving..no profile in courage for this guy nt

[Inuca]

14. It would help if you knew what you are talking about

use the Google to find out what Hagel has been saying and doing for the last several years, just a suggestion.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. Practically nanosecods after invading Iraq, he was very outspoken about how it was being mangled and

has continued to be.

[Mira]

3. He'll be the first Republican in the administration - who wants to bet against it?

[Inspired]

5. Not me...Hagel is the only Republican I like.

Just wish he would trade in the 'R' for a 'D'.

[Inuca]

15. He won't trade the R for a D

because he is not a D and he does not seem to like to pretend to be what he is not.

[stillcool]

7. I always liked listening..

to him and Joe Biden speaking during the Foreign Relations Committee's hearings and whatnot. Probably because neither one of them is a screamer, and they both make sense.

[nancyr]

8. He's too reasonable to be a Republican.

[lamp_shade]

10. If the republican party leaders would put a muzzle on the likes of Limbaugh and

Hannity, I believe they'd have better luck in the next election cycle. These types are doing no good at all for the party. The only people they "fire up" are the nutjobs, most of whom belong to one of those crazy chicken-killing, snake-swallowing religious cults. I've only met one in my life.. he had that weird drugged dilated (mansonish) look in his eyes and would follow Limbaugh to hell.

[Omaha Steve]

12. Look at Hagel's voting record

We do not want him as a D. He is a solid right wing conservative R. Need I say more?

[progressoid]

17. Yep.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=7896214&mesg_id=7896214

[elizm]

13. Chuck Hagel is a man of conviction...

He first got my attention when he spoke out so clearly on the Elian Gonzales saga. He also was a strong critic of Bush's Iraq policy long before it was 'fashionable'. He may be conservative, but I have to admire him. He has never been afraid to break with his party and speak up when he disagreed.