‘War is bigger than politics’

July 4, 2005

The New York Times Sunday Magazine did a brief interview with Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) last week that ran over the weekend. In light of Hagel’s recent pronouncement that the Bush White House “is completely disconnected from reality. It’s like they’re just making it up as they go along” in Iraq, I thought it’d be interesting to see if Hagel starts backing away from his earlier remarks. Fortunately, he’s not.

Q: You’re one of a growing number of Republicans who have lately accused President Bush of botching the war in Iraq.

Hagel: If someone says I am a disloyal Republican because I am not supporting my party, let them say it. War is bigger than politics.

And with that, Hagel is immediately disqualified from the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. And the next four White House Christmas parties.

FINALLY!!
A republican with a shred of common sense and dare I say it some class and dignity???
It’s nice to see that not all republican’s are mindless robots chanting:
“Bush is always right.
Bush is all knowing.”

One does not have to support an imbecile (Bush) in order to support the troops. However, if Chuck Hagel has one of those silly ass “Support The Troops” magnets on his SUV my opinion of him goes right out the freaking window.

  • Hagel AGAIN makes good quotes for the media. He’s done it many, many times. The problem is that he NEVER puts his words into action. Has he called ANY hearings — or demanded that his Committee Chairmen call them — to investigate the White House’s and the Pentagon’s incompetence and mendacious words? Did he vote against Bolton in Committee to kill the nomination then and there? What does he do except preen before the cameras and microphones, then disappear when the pressure is on?

    Hagel is just as much of a pretender to the “maverick” title as is McCain: neither of them have EVER had the courage to buck the party line when crunch time comes. Instead, we get McCain kissing Bush’s ass on the campaign trail, and Hagel is not far behind.

    Come back and ask me my opinion when Hagel takes a real legislative stand against the party and against Bush. THEN I might reconsider…

  • Still, even though he hasn’t backed up his words with action, words matter, as some conservative commentators like to say. Having a prominent republican – and he’s prominent BECAUSE of statements like this – denounce the conduct of the war only reinforces in wavering moderates their growing doubts about Bush.

  • I agree with Smiley. Hagel shows up quite a bit on the TV newstalk circuit. Mr and Mrs average American may not watch these in their entirety, but they do see clips and soundbites of what was said, and get their impressions accordingly. I believe he has had some influence on attitudes toward the war in places (like my hometown) that might otherwise simply fall in line behind BushCo.

  • Politics is still big enough to warrant ignoring certain nasty facts about the “war” (Crusade, Conquest, Occupation, Quagmire, Failure). Such as the fact the US monthly deaths have trended decidedly upwards ever since “Mission accomplished”. See the second graph here.

    I can understand why the Republicans won’t address this. What I can’t understand is why the “news”papers and TV “news” remain so universally oblivious to such easily comprehendible, and conveyable, facts.

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