Hagel: McCain's comments about Obama on Iraq ``superfluous, gratuitous political comment.''

Hagel, Republican for Now, Says He Has No Plans to Back McCain

By Christopher Stern

June 27 (Bloomberg) -- Senator Chuck Hagel declined to endorse his party's likely presidential nominee, John McCain, and said he would consider serving as secretary of defense in a Barack Obama administration.

Hagel, who last year considered a White House run as an independent, said he would remain a registered Republican: ``I don't know forever, but right now I'm not considering changing my registration.''

``I don't have any plans to endorse any candidate,'' Hagel, 61, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt,'' to be broadcast today.

The Nebraska senator broke with his party over the war in Iraq, calling it a ``catastrophic mistake.'' He voted with Democrats to withdraw troops and against President George W. Bush's so-called surge that boosted the number of soldiers in Baghdad last year.

Hagel criticized McCain, his close friend, for saying that Obama, an Illinois senator and the Democrats' likely nominee, misunderstands the war in Iraq and was wrong for opposing the troop surge. Hagel called McCain's criticism a ``superfluous, gratuitous political comment.''

Because Hagel has been a critic of the Bush administration, his name often surfaces as a high-level appointee for both parties. Hagel said he would have a duty to consider a request to serve from any president including as secretary of defense in an Obama administration.

``I would have to consider it,'' Hagel said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aQ0hfm1KRlp4&refer=home

I don't trust him with much else, but he could be the Obama Administration's Richard Cohen. Wonder if he writes poetry.

because it looks like we have ceded the argument about who is strong and who is weak on defense issues. I would prefer to have a moderate republicon at HHS or something. It's time Democrats took the bull by the horns on defense and worked from a position of strength on the issue.

and it ties nicely into the idea of attacking the right on their supposed "strengths". Actually, there's no reason for Obama to have any Repubs in cabinet-level positions, but I'd bet there'll be at least one, somewhere.

forget about that because we need to change that perception and start a new course.

attacks, even if it is a rethug. Where are the Dems?

Hagel for NSA could be a good show of bipartisan governance.

Just thinking out loud ...

he despises both bush and McCain....that makes him a potent weapon were in NE.

I think Hagel would be about the best Republican to be in the Cabinet? I think he would be a good choice for Secretary of Defense.

Though he is a right wing conservative on most issues...

He's the only U.S. Senator other than Barbara Boxer, as far as I know, to advocate impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

And during the 2000 Florida election controversy, he was the only Republican that I saw interviewed on TV who wasn't obnoxious about the whole thing -- he didn't advocate for either side when asked.

I've also seen his name surface as a VP choice -- for Obama!

but he indeed mentioned the possibility a couple of times. Not more than that.

(not by choice - I was working at the time).

They seemed to be pretty buddy-buddy at the time.

I guess what they say is true: Politics makes strange bedfellows.

How bad is it when a guy who worked SO HARD to promote you and get you elected 8 years ago now won't even endorse you, and says nice things in support of the opposing party's nominee? That's how far McCain has fallen.

that supported McCain in 2000 and they are said to be close friends. It would be interesting to know whether this still holds true, McCain is said to take perceived disloyalty pretty badly.