Hagel, Chuck (R-NE)
5
The Republican Senator from Nebraska, Charles "Chuck" Hagel is my choice for President in 2008. His experience and balanced policy solutions is what the country needs at this point in time. Republicans indeed would be foolish not to nominate him. He's a Vietnam veteran with lots of foreign and domestic policy experience. Unlike Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, or Mitt Romney, he has solid conservative credentials on the social issues that can make him appealing to primary voters, but at the same time, he isn't dogmatic at all about any given issue, thus making him appealing to more middle of the road voters in the general election. He has always been critical of the parties move towards neo-conservatism, something else which will be helpful in a general election, but maybe even in the primaries. The party might be moving back towards realism, the same philosophy traditionally espoused by Republicans from Teddy Roosevelt, to Eisenhower, Nixon, and yes, even Reagan and George H.W. Bush with success.
He presents himself in a straightforward, no-nonsense way, and articulates good public policy objectives on a wide variety of issues, including fiscal and foreign policy. He bases his assertions on fact, not ideology. Given how the past 6-7 years have turned out, that will be a good change. He is making a risky move in challenging the President's plan to add more troops in Iraq, but what Hagel is doing the right thing. It might hurt him in a primary, where the voters might see his act as disloyalty, but I tend to think, given the amount of opposition there is to Bush's war policy, that it might help him in the long run, both in the primary and the general election. Hagel is the best choice on this point because, unlike many Democrats that are trying to rush to the door in Iraq without considering the consequences, like John Kerry, and Republicans like McCain who blindly insist that our game plan remains sound, Hagel wants to leave Iraq with a decent political situation by using a variety of military and diplomatic solutions to bring the situation there to a heads. Certainly Hagel, like myself, agree that the military will continue to play a key role in helping move Iraq along, but at this point in time, the situation requires a mixture of diplomatic initiatives done with the intent to disarm the militias which are pulling that country apart. Putting more troops in there without establishing objectives is a disaster waiting to happen. Hagel is the only candidate out there trying to salvage our objectives in Iraq and in the wider war against terrorism.
The GOP needs to move away from neo-conservatism in order to win in 2008. The same dynamic that got Bush re-elected in 2004 won't work next year. The people are looking for a candidate who is experienced, savvy, and slightly right of center. Chuck Hagel fits the bill here. He might not run because he's not a big fundraiser, but if he did run, I think he would be a very good President, unlike many of the other big-name contenders on the field like Hillary or Obama. And really, who are the Republicans running? Giuliani is a good manager, but has some past issues that might haunt him in a national election, McCain is yesterday’s news, and has always been a bit of pariah within the party anyways, Romney just doesn’t have a national following. And Gingrich? What has he done in 10 years? Go down the list, and you’ll find that Hagel is the best man the party has, in almost every respect.
