Continuing the trend of Republican politicians in Nebraska stroking their own egos, Senator Chuck Hagel called a press conference today to finally put an end to all of the endless speculation about his political future… Except, well, he didn’t:
OMAHA — Sen. Chuck Hagel on Monday said he would not make a decision on his political future until later this year.
“In making this announcement, I believe there will still be political options open to me at a later date,” Hagel said. “But that will depend on the people of Nebraska and this country. I cannot control that and I do not worry about it.
So, you know what my reaction is: I’m getting damn sick and tired of trying to guess what the hell Hagel’s doing, and I’d really like to see Mike Fahey run for Senate. What’s the initial reaction around the net (from both the left and the right)?
Kos: Another Republican to break term-limit pledge?
The Corner: “How do you spell ‘megalomaniac’?”
Hit & Run: “‘E’ is for ‘Ego’”
Huffington Post: Hagel Punts Announcement Again
Real Clear Politics: “When Frost found himself at the crossroads, he took the road less traveled. And that, he said, made all the difference. When Sen. Chuck Hagel finds himself at the crossroads, he calls a press conference.”
And from Nebraska:
Paging Power: (The only blog to predict Hagel’s announcement correctly, even if they were “totally joking.”) “Is Hagel’s middle name Hype?”
Leavenworth Street: “Uh, what was the point?” “The announcement means the political pot ready to boil over with candidates if he retires will continue to bubble and simmer for another six months.”
“I think it is extremely disappointing that Senator Hagel would bring the entire state of Nebraska to a screeching halt by holding an elaborate ceremony to announce absolutely nothing.”
“Nebraskans are tired of waiting for Chuck Hagel to make up his mind. He has been toying with the idea of running for President for several years. Nebraska deserves no less than two full-time representatives in the U.S. Senate. It is time for Chuck Hagel to come to a conclusion – does he want to represent the people of Nebraska – or run for President?”
Omaha World-Herald: Hagel delay may make him a ‘really long shot’
UPDATE: A must-read analysis from Ryan Anderson at the New Nebraska Network:
What this proves to me is we can’t afford to be spectators any more. The Nebraska blogosphere has served as a vigilant watchdog of Chuck Hagel’s record. That’s all fine and dandy, but there comes a day when every public official must answer those critics and defend that record and for Senator Hagel, that day is Election Day, 2008. If we aren’t committed to making that a contest, we can’t pretend to be serious about building a “new Nebraska”.
UPDATE II: Chuck Hagel launches an official web site: Hagel.tv
As far as I know, he’s the only politician to have a “.tv” address. Maybe he should have stuck with the hagel08.com address instead? Anyway, it’s interesting that “Iraq” appears not once in his “Issues” page. He’s definitely not trying to hide from it, giving prominent placement on the front page to his committee statements on Iraq, but it’s noteworthy that he’s not trying to make it a centerpiece of his campaign. If he is indeed running for reelection, this goes right along with what Ryan was saying above. It’s also interesting that the site isn’t really your typical “re-election” website. (h/t PP)
UPDATE III: Jon Stewart summed it up quite well, in an interview with Chris Dodd. Hagel basically got up there and said “I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance!” So easy, a caveman could do it.
You UNO democrats need to convince Fahey to get into this race when he comes to see you next Monday. It sounds like Hagel is digging himself a pretty big hole here, and there’s no reason Fahey needs to wait like the Republicans need to.