There’s A New Maverick In Town
With all of the talk I’ve been hearing lately about what a great guy Chuck Hagel is, I thought it was time to pull out a post I wrote over a year ago on the topic. I’ve been hearing liberals laud Senator Hagel’s “bravery” for speaking out against this administration and his “maverick” tendencies when it comes to sticking to his convictions. Speaking truthfully may make him a maverick within the Republican Party, but it’s what Senators are supposed to do, he gets no credit from me for that and more importantly, I’m not convinced that this whole thing isn’t just political theater.
Chuck Hagel is a Bush administration “fella” and he’s got the voting record to back it up. He is one of the most conservative members of the Senate, supporting the Bush agenda a whopping 95% of the time. He may be speaking out against the President’s “troop surge” but that hardly takes political courage at this point. Any Republican who wants a shot at the White House in ’08 must be against this surge and for ending the occupation of Iraq. John McCain will find that out the hard way and he’ll likely find that he’s been duped by the Bushies yet again. By bringing McCain into the fold while simultaneously singling out Hagel as the “problem Republican” that just won’t toe the line, the Bush team has effectively stripped McCain of his maverick status and bestowed it upon Hagel. At a time when change is what the American people are looking for, the willingness to buck this administration is the best asset any candidate can have, and Hagel’s “outsider” status seems to be by Bush administration design.
So go forth and read my old post about Hagel from November 2005, it's even more relevant now than when I wrote it. Every once in a while my analysis is spot on and I'm convinced that this is one of those times. I'm leaving open the possibility that Chuck Hagel is authentic (although he'd still be an awful choice for President), but I certianly wouldn't bet money on it, unless of course I owned the machines that tallied the bets and determined the winner.
posted by The (liberal)Girl Next Door @ 9:36 AM
5 Comments:
McCain has got big issues, among them not really looking all that well and his reputation for having periodic meltdowns and a white hot temper. He seems to me to be the Republican equivalent of the Bob Dole candidacy in 1996: an old, flawed, weak candidate who happens to be the next in line and was loyal the last time around. Not sure if you've seen this swift-boat type attack video on McCain that was recently released or not, I've got it up on my blog:
http://minor-ripper.blogspot.com/2007/01/john-mccain-vs-john-mccain_30.html
Excellent old post, LGND. And it's the kind of investigative digging that might keep Hagel sitting in the Senate.
But the pressure to fabricate the next "compassionate conservative" will become fierce in the next few months as the rest of the Republican field looks bleak.
You were dead on. The press tries to manufacture these 'maverick' candidates --that is, until they're elected and then they're dutiful Wall St bootlicks.
I am chucking over this post because one of my colleagues, hard conservative, was bashing Hagel today also.
Perhaps if both conservatives and liberals dislike this senator I should look closer.lol
I think Hagel has been a reasoned voice on foreign affairs for many years. I am not surprised by his current position, and I have no doubt it is genuine.
I don't see him as a presidential candidate, and frankly I don't think he sees himself that way either.
Today, Feb. 4, Sen. Hagel called McCain's Benchmark Resolution" 'disingenuous' and 'intellectually dishonest.'
I'm not sure what to make of this guy. But I do think nobody wants to go into the 2008 election cycle with Iraq hanging over their heads
Things don't look good for Neo-Con Republicans. Global Warming is a fact and Iraq is worse than Civil War. They can't win on either issue.
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