Hagel-Bloomberg 2008?

By: Lowell
Published On: 5/13/2007 7:42:24 PM

Hagel-Bloomberg 2008?  That's not a misprint. On Face the Nation this morning, Bob Schieffer and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) had the following exchange:

SCHIEFFER: You had dinner, I know, the other night with Mayor Bloomberg of New York. Some say he's thinking of a run, perhaps, as an Independent. What did you come away from that meeting feeling?

Sen. HAGEL: Well, we didn't make any deals, but I think Mayor Bloomberg is the kind of individual who should seriously think about this. I think he is. I can't speak for him. Obviously, the  conversation we had was confidential, but it's that kind of independent thinking. He's been--here's a man who's been successful in every walk of life. He's thoughtful. He's got a range about the world. He's not tied down and captive to political ideology. He wants to make things work. He is the mayor of one of the greatest cities on earth. He makes that city work. That's what America wants.

SCHIEFFER: Well, let me just ask you this. Could you see a ticket that had Mayor Bloomberg and Chuck Hagel, in no particular order there, but those two names on the same ticket? Would that be--can you see something like that?

Sen. HAGEL: It's a great country to think about a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation.

Wow, imagine what Bob McDonnell would think about THAT?!? :)

For more news from Chuck Hagel, including his discomfort with the Republican Party, see the flip.
Hagel on Bush's Iraq Policy: "The 11 House Republicans that went to see him speak for more than just 11 House Republicans. That's just the tip of the iceberg. The uneasiness that's in the Republican Party today is there."

Hagel on the the Bush Foreign Policy and the U.S. Military: "We're in serious trouble in the world today. We're destroying our military, our Marines and our Army."

Hagel on the Republican Party: "Well I've been a Republican all my life. I voted for the Republican ticket in 1968 when I was in Vietnam. I'm not happy with the Republican Party today. It has drifted from the party of Eisenhower, of Goldwater, of Reagan. The party that I joined, it isn't the same party. It's not. It's been hijacked by a group of single-minded almost isolationists, insulationists, power-projectors. That's not what Eisenhower talked about in 1961 when he probably gave one of the best speeches ever given by a president about how we will use our foreign policy and our engagement and reaching out to the world. The world will always respond to leadership that they have confidence in and they trust."

Wow, Hagel's starting to sound like Russ Potts! :)

Comments



If Hagel is Serious (drmontoya - 5/13/2007 8:04:06 PM)
I will have a tremendous amount of respect for him if (regardless if he runs for President of not) he immediately leaves the Republican Party and Caucus in the U.S. Senate.

Maybe his old long time friend Jim Webb could help with that?

Would you welcome Chuck Hagel in the Democratic Caucus as we did Jim Jeffords?

I would.



a guy (blue south - 5/13/2007 8:59:07 PM)
who voted with the president over 90% of the time?  Yeah, no thanks.


Trust me we could use one more (drmontoya - 5/13/2007 9:49:17 PM)
Who caucus with us, God forbid another Democrat get near death or worse die. What happens if West Virginian Byrd dies.

They have a Republican Governor.

Trust me, I want more Democrats or Indy's who caucus with our party. Or even Independents.

The more people leave the Republican party, the weaker it gets.



West Virginia's Governor (Chris Guy - 5/13/2007 10:26:54 PM)
is a Democrat, Joe Manchin.

But you're absolutely right. Look, if Hagel is going to be in the Senate, do we want him to caucus with the Democrats or Republicans? The idea that we wouldn't want him to switch is just absurd.



If Chafee wouldn't switch, (vadem - 5/13/2007 10:41:34 PM)
its unlikely that Hagel would either.  However, its not inconceivable that he'd consider Independent status.  He's been a fairly conservative Republican in most of his votes, so there's no way we could assume he'd automatically caucus with Dems the majority of the time.  He's also from Nebraska.  If he switched parties in the middle of a term, its likely he'd only serve out that term and would not be re-elected. 


Hagel not seeking re-election (drmontoya - 5/14/2007 12:45:51 AM)
If he runs for President, he's already said he's ending his Senate career.

If he runs Independent, he's got to leave the GOP.



Either way (DukieDem - 5/13/2007 11:27:39 PM)
Let's hope Nebraska Dems find a strong candidate in what will certainly be an open seat in 08.


Bloomberg, Hagen, Arnold (Bernie Quigley - 5/14/2007 6:48:32 AM)
Bloomberg has long talked about running for POTUS if Hillary gets the nomination. Hagel as VP. It is a pretty good guess that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be Sec. of State. That would change everything and we are at the brink of change.