Chuck Hagel To Announce Retirement From Senate
Another RINO bites the dust. Now we can put a real conservative in to replace Hagel.
Update: From The American Spectator
With the announcement today that Sen. Chuck Hagel is retiring, Republicans in the Senate are privately giving big props to National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. John Ensign for his behind the scenes support to Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, which started about six months ago.Bruning, a solid conservative and supporter of the Iraq War, quietly made a visit to Washington in the spring to gauge political and financial support from Senatorial, the RNC, and K Street. Initial meetings among fundraisers and donors weren’t forthcoming until Ensign quietly encouraged them.
Chuck Hagel will announce his retirement from the US Senate Monday in his home State of Nebraska.
Every time I watched the Senate on C-Span Hagel was always caucusing with the Dems especially Dickie Durban. No big loss for the Republicans.
Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to leave the Senate after two terms as a Republican Party maverick, people close to him say.
Hagel plans to announce that “he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008,” said one person, who asked not to be named.Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.
According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel’s staff learned of his decision that afternoon.
The North Platte native earned national recognition as perhaps the most vocal, at times angry, GOP critic of the Bush administration’s Iraq policies.
His outspokenness on Iraq and other key issues, including Social Security and foreign policy, fueled national interest in Hagel as he flirted with a possible presidential bid.
His national profile reached its zenith in March, when he headed to Omaha to hold a press conference on his political future.
But amid wide speculation that he was leaning toward a White House run, Hagel announced that he would disclose his plans later in the year.
His pending retirement leaves another GOP Senate seat without an incumbent at a time when the Republican Party is struggling to stem potential losses and must defend more seats than Democrats.
In Nebraska, the news will trigger a scramble among possible successors.
Attorney General Jon Bruning has been campaigning for the GOP Senate nomination since spring. A second Republican, financial adviser Pat Flynn of Schuyler, also already announced his candidacy.
t/b: Hot Air , Michelle Malkin
Sphere: Related ContentTags: Hagel, RINO, U.S. Senate
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So, you think you are going to replace Chuck Hagel with a “true conservative”? Thanks for giving me my afternoon laugh.
The GOP is in serious trouble. Scott Rasmussen who is favorite pollster among republicans, just surveyed the “generic vote advantage” when democrat vs. republican congressional candidates are compared. Read it and weep…..Rasmussen sees an 18 point advantage for democrat candidates. Bob Kerrey is going to enter this race soon and since Bob used to be senator from Nebraska, he’d have an advantage without the political climate looking so damn dismal for the GOP. http://www.rasmussenreports.com.
What is it with you clowns? Its not enough to get this country involved in Iraq, you have to reach new personal lows in morality. Let’s see now, let’s do a little roll call: Jack Abramoff, Mike Scanlon, Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, Tom DeLay, Mark Foley, David Vitter, and now Larry Craig. How do you think this is playing with the American people?
I run into people like you that are in a sad state of denial about the country’s mood towards the GOP. All the signs look menacing. Voter identification as republican is the lowest its been in fifteen years. There is no end in sight to Iraq.
I’m sorry to see Chuck Hagel go. Its nice to know there is one honest person left in the GOP.
8 Sep 07 at 5:29 pm
Mark, if you think Republicans are less ethical than Democrats, you haven’t been paying much attention to Clinton contributors or other folks also named “William Jefferson”. As to the unfortunate Larry Craig, I didn’t think the folks on your side of the aisle had a lot of issues with that sort of thing. Am somewhat surprised to see you lump gay cruising in with other “lows in morality”. Psst. It’s okay with me, but don’t let Andrew Sullivan catch you doing it.
Liberals like you will make with the crocodile tears and say, “Aww, Chuck is retiring, sorry to see the Last Good Republican go”, and all that. But here’s the part Republicans like Chucky don’t get, while conservatives like me, and liberals like you, understand it all too well: you would never vote for him. He’s a Republican. He’s somewhat conservative on most issues, even. You would much rather vote for a mainstream Democrat than a “maverick” Republican. It doesn’t do Republicans any good to play to liberals; they will pat him on the head, say “Good boy!”, and give him pleasant little write-ups in the Style section. But they won’t vote for him.
Meanwhile, he spent most of his time providing WTF moments for those of us who did vote for him, and would have continued voting for him had he not joined the Harry Reid branch of the Republican Party.
8 Sep 07 at 10:02 pm
Hey Mark - why don’t you pull your bruised lips off of that bong of yours and answer me this - what’s with the Democratic party being funded by the Chinese? Your hero Clinton was close to renaming the Lincoln bedroom the Rincoln bedroom for all the bags of cash coming from agents of that country - but it’s not enough to take their money, you had to hand over a bunch of technology to them as well!
But wait! Surprise surprise - your leader Lodham Crinton is still stuffing bags of cash under her pantsuit! I guess when the Great Inseminator was explaining that it was OK for him to break campaign finance laws because of the Republican Juggernaut, we were all supposed to drop our drawers in salute!
The next time you exhale try looking at yourself in the mirror - you’ll see a sucker who rewards his party leaders for breaking the law and aiding and abetting our enemies!
8 Sep 07 at 11:41 pm
Slick and Shrillary are so far into the Chinese money that other democrats are talking about using it against them. Latest from the blogs indicate the discussions are going on now. The latest revelation that there is millions involved may just take Shrillary out of the race. What is left then, a Shyster lawyer and a radical Islamist? Dim’s sure can pick the criminals and retards, but then again, they are criminals and retards so there’s nothing else to pick from.
11 Sep 07 at 7:45 pm