GREAT VIDEO CLIP: See Sen. Hagel blast Bush's "Mission Accomplished"

[Nothing Without Hope]

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#a2723

It 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.

[Onceuponalife]

1. Pretty funny when he started to say "Vietnam war"

instead of Iraq

[Nothing Without Hope]

2. Yes - that was really striking. I do wonder if it might have been

deliberate. He can't be criticized by the other Rethugs for an ACCIDENT, after all, but it sure made the point.

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. kick! n/t

[SpiralHawk]

4. "Not wise or mature."

Megadittoes

[understandinglife]

5. MNA Day 1................

........www.missionnotaccomplished.us -- JUST THE BEGINNING

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. kick - this really should be heard n/t

[OnionPatch]

7. This is great and all but.....

never, ever forget Hagel's ties to the paperless voting machines. Very, very suspicious.

[Nothing Without Hope]

10. Absolutely - there's a link to an article on his assocation with that in

the opening post. I am certainly not saying he is good or honest - but he DOES want to be president and he is choosing a position that in his practiced view, backed up by whatever studies and polls he trusts, has the best chance of appealing to voters. THAT is the good news part - that this prominent Repub is distancing himself from the monolithic neocon stance on Iraq and Bolton and even on whether Bush is a "wise or mature" leader.

[David Zephyr]

8. Thank you, Nothing Without Hope, for the clip.

:)

[wicket]

9. that rocks!!!!

:kick: