Hey Big Al,

“If in 2007 the final presidential choice is between Hagel as the GOP nominee and a Democrat - such as Clinton, Obama, or Edwards - running on a “Let’s all fight more wars for Our Special Pet Nation Israel!” platform, I just may have to give my vote to Hagel.”

So you go ahead and vote for Hagel in 2007.  I bet he only gets one vote.

I see you still haven’t kicked that pesky stupidity thing yet.

Are you kidding!  GOP Senators HAVE no shame. Unless Hagel is going to pass out bigger checks on the Senate floor than Exxon/Mobil, GE, Pfizer, et al., he’s wasting his breath.

Bush will never back down as long as he is president, not because he cares about America, but because he cares about his own image in history.  Either way he’s a failure, but if he gives up now he’ll have to admit it… it’s so much better for him to throw more GI’s lives away on the off chance he’ll look good in the end.  And oh yeah, he’s making all that money through the Carlyle Group’s Nation Defense subsidiary & Cheney’s still raking in Haliburton dough… so why should they quit, it’s not like it’s their kids getting shot at and traumatized out there.

I don’t care where Sen. Hagel was for the last four years. The reality is that most Americans bought the same kool-aid that the Bush cable was selling. For what ever reason, he has mustard up the cajones to lay it on the line and speak out while every one else is looking to compromise their way out of the crap that our soldiers are in. I applaud him for that. Now, we the American people have to get our collective ass off the ground and demand accountability from our docile congress and get behind the few that have the access that it takes to expose this madness. At this stage in the game we need every one to speak out regardless of political affiliation. Stoping the madman in The White House is my priority. Their will be plenty of time to finger point once we get our soldiers out of the middle east. Perhaps then the rest of the bystanders there will step up and take care of there own mess. Then we can negotiate with who ever wins; for the oil rights. Heheheheheheh,thats what it’s all about, isn’t it?

He voted against the minimum wage becuz SO MUCH was added to it that actually diminished its purpose! I
believe the Congress tampered with the original bill, bringing those who understood the actual changes to bring it down with hope of another try
without the tags and tails of b.s.
Hagel is at least displaying some guts, as is Feingold. WATCH THE PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING IN THE STREETS OF D.C. on SATURDAY!! Women say Pull Out!!
cyn

To Rabidrob - you’re totally full of sH$t.  The American public, the American media, and most of the political infrastructure of the country did more than “Shut-up” for Iraq; we nearly all supported it for years and let it occur with little to no serious opposition.  So just imagine how bad the adults in charge in Washington will screw things up when they don’t have the support the public, the Congress, and (less and less) the corporate main stream media stooges.  The time to shut up and be a servile toad like you is over.  You are in the minority and the rest of us know that you have nothing worthwhile to contribute with your flaccid WWII analogies (a real war, I might add) and your unctuous propaganda talk about what N.-Korea and the boogeyman terrorists will do when we abandon our imperial ambitions in the Iraq.  What?  Like you’re some foreign policy analyst?  You have no idea what you’re talking about and it’s beyond contemptuous to presume you can predict anything about the destinies of these other nations, let alone this one.  So why don’t YOU shut up and let the smart people handle this mess, Ace. - TheEnd

Raindrob, if you are so convinced that Bush’s “new” Iraq strategy is going to work, YOU SHOULD GO to Iraq, instead of one of those poor 20,000 soldiers who have no choice in the matter.

Though his stance on the war is good he did vote against raising the minimum wage.
      He is still a republican

to robin’s comment,”...where was he for the last 4 years…” IN his usual place, today tho he’s showing-off, grandstanding ! ! It’s evident he and others have not given a thought to how welcome this play is applauded by terror groups, Bush haters And others wanting a reason to dislike US ! How gung-ho must our troops feel - not to mention families,loved ones.

    A very famous saying, and signage, in WWII was,“A slip of the lips may sink a ship!” !

    It is time for all to “Shut-UP, quite belly-aching”, AND unite, to win this war.During the silence give a nanosecond of thought to this : IF we go home / pullout, Iran, N. Korea,any rogue group will be hysterical as they make nuclear weapons, knowing the U. S. only makes noise; no spine, no fight, just talk.AND, others will know they can not trust us for help: The U.S. is only a paper tiger,all blow and no go!

    Rabidrob

Right on the war
Wrong on the minimum wage

Homer
http://www.altara.blogspot.com

robin writes “sounds good…where was he for the last four years and why now?”

It’s true but Hagel is far better than other candidates. His statement is supported by conviction and remorse. I betcha other candidates will follow, or copy, his footstep.

Senator Hagel is correct. The most significant threat our American way of life faces is not terrorism, but the forces in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in the media that want to strangle public debate. If not even the SENATE is allowed to debate policies, then how can we call ourselves a republic, let alone a democracy?

As a Vietnam combat vet, Hagel has seen the blood and death of war up close, unlike the chicken hawks who started the Iraq War and want to have it continue indefinitely.

Not only are our troops being killed and horribly wounded, they are being severely damaged psychologically, emotionally and spiritually.

More information on the prices our troops are paying is presented in the two articles below:

U.S. troops in Iraq taking drugs to cope with stress, trauma

Steve Hammons
American Chronicle
June 30, 2006

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=11079

-  -  -

American troops are cracking under horrors, deception and lies of Iraq war

Steve Hammons
American Chronicle
June 2, 2006

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=10640

And how many of our Boy’s and Gals died these past four years, because you, Mr Hagel took 4 years to face the truth?

Why didnt you mention the 650,000 dead iraqi civilians? Are they “just beans” to us ?

we need more Hagels’ and Webbs’ in Washington instead of the brown nosers’. Those who aren’t afraid of the status quo or the threatening to change the law at a whim to cover thier rear administration.

Hagel: ‘Every one of the 100 senators—Republican, Democrat, independent—that I know of has said, “How do we do this in a way that we look after, first, the national interests of America?” That still is rather significant.’

You betcha.

Hagel: “These young men and women that we put in Anbar province, in Iraq, in Baghdad are not beans.  They’re real lives.  And we better be damn sure we know what we’re doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder.  We better be as sure as you can be.”

It’s over - bring the troops home.  It’s been yet another miserable catastrophe just like ‘Nam, only this time courtesy of the Bush family-bin Laden association.  “Huh?!”  Hagel, is that you??!  “Yeah…” Here you go:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/progs/newsnight/attack22.ram

Now do something about stopping the:

‘knocking down 4,000 public townhouses [in New Orleans]. These are dry, safe, good houses. That’s why they’re still there. They literally want to bulldoze these homes because they don’t want those “black people back”.’

Black Americans aren’t “beans” either Hagel, they’re “real people” so you just make sure they can return to their homes as well!

For Sen. Hagel’s enlightenment: 
http://www.gregpalast.com/new-orleans-still-under-water-a-buzzflash-interview/#more-1565

Secret US plans for Iraq’s oil
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm

Few men and women in Congress have have the integrity and honesty to display what Mr C. Hagel displayed. I was proud to be an American
after listening to Mr. C. Hagel. At last our brave troops have not been forgotten. American history will not forget Mr. Hagel’s moment of greatness.

Damn.

If in 2007 the final presidential choice is between Hagel as the GOP nominee and a Democrat - such as Clinton, Obama, or Edwards - running on a “Let’s all fight more wars for Our Special Pet Nation Israel!”  platform, I just may have to give my vote to Hagel.

Voting for a Republican might make me vomit, but I may have to.

Of course, I probably won’t face this dilemma, as it’s hard to imagine the Israel lobby - or the Jesus-deranged Republican base - allowing Hagel to get the GOP nomination.

sounds good…where was he for the last four years and why now?