He blasts Bush on Iraq, he demolishes him on his "not wise or mature" assertion of "Mission Accomplished" on the anniversary of this sorry event, and he also says he may not vote for Bolton (still considering).
In honor of Mission Not Accomplished Day. Chuck Hagel is no hero - his affiliation with with a major voting machine company, for example raises obvious ethical issues (
http://www.hillnews.com/news/012903/hagel.aspx), and he has voted with other Republicans on the Bush nominees and awful legislation. He does not go so far as to say the war is wrong, let alone illegal. But it's good to hear one of the Rethugs speaking in a way that does not flatter Bush and expresses disagreement at Bush's Iraq policy in general and special disgust at the staged "Mission Accomplished" travesty. It's not a united neocon front any more.
See the "Face the Nation" video, available in Quicktime and Windows Media versions, at Crooks and Liars here:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/05/01.html#a2723It is clear at the end of the video - if you didn't know it before - that Hagel wants to run for the presidency. What is interesting here is that he clearly realizes that Bush's positions on Iraq and possibly on Bolton are too extreme to attract enough votes to win. He is tacking to the center because he sees that Bush is too extremely right-wing. Yes, it's cynical political calculation, but it is still good news that an influential Repub senator is betting his political future that he needs to move toward the center. More evidence that there are cracks forming in Bush's support among the Republicans. The rats are starting to see the water level rise.