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 The GOP Waiting GamePosted on Mar 13, 2007By E.J. Dionne WASHINGTON—Why not Chuck Hagel? For that matter, why not Fred Thompson? For Republicans, 2008 promises to be a disconcerting if exciting year because for the first time since the 1964 Goldwater insurgency, the party is struggling over its philosophical direction. The old conservatism is in crisis, Bush Republicanism (of the son’s variety but not the father’s) is a tainted brand, and no candidate has emerged as the Next New Thing that the party wants or needs. That’s why Hagel, the Nebraska senator and Iraq war critic, suggested Monday that he might seek the presidency. It’s why Thompson, the actor and former senator from Tennessee, said on Fox News the day before that he was “giving some thought” to joining the race. And who knows whether Newt Gingrich will get in? Hagel was onto something when he spoke of the country “experiencing a political reorientation, a redefining and moving toward a new political center of gravity” and of our current problems “overtaking the ideological debates of the last three decades.” And he hinted that he might seek the White House as an independent. “This movement is bigger than both parties,” he said, tantalizingly. The Hagel Hint and the Thompson Tease are disturbing news for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the front-runner in the polls. Giuliani’s strength is as the remainder candidate. He is drawing support from Republicans who can’t bring themselves to back the previous front-runner, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has a lot of party establishment support but hasn’t made the sale because of too much obvious flip-flopping. This should be an opening for the conservative dark horses, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. But they have been unable to fill the void on the right, perhaps because even traditionalist conservatives reluctantly sense, as Hagel does, that the old formulas aren’t working. Giuliani, effectively our stand-in leader early in the week of Sept. 11, 2001, while President Bush was finding his footing, provides a safe parking place for Republican seekers. But Giuliani’s core weakness may not be any of those most widely discussed: the fact that he supports legal abortion and gay rights, his divorces, his strained relations with his children. His real problem is that his discourse is still rooted in the immediate post-9/11 period, even as the country has moved on. No, the country has not forgotten that day and it still wants to fight terrorism. But a lot has happened since 9/11, notably the Bush administration’s use of our collective anger at terrorists to inveigle us into a war in Iraq that most Americans now view as a terrible mistake. The president’s tumbling approval ratings signal the electorate’s belief that tough-guy rhetoric and a go-it-alone, multiple-war approach are inadequate to the battle we’re in. Giuliani’s candidacy is premised on reminding us of one terrible day over and over when the country is looking for more than the stern reassurance it needed during that frightening moment. A war that has weakened McCain, one of its strongest supporters, could eventually undercut Giuliani’s sales pitch. That gives Thompson every incentive to hang around and wait, in the meantime clocking more face time as the district attorney on “Law & Order.” Republicans could be sick of their field by the time the fall season comes around, and in desperate search for a new cast. But could Hagel successfully play as a GOP presidential candidate? In truth, his Senate voting record, according to the most recent National Journal ratings, is more conservative than either McCain’s or Brownback’s. Yet Hagel’s foreign policy views are far closer to those of the first President Bush and Colin Powell’s than to the current president’s, and that’s why he can’t stand what’s happened in Iraq. Even within the Republican rank and file, there’s disillusionment with the war. A Pew Research Center survey last month found that only 51 percent of Republicans thought things were going “very” or “fairly” well in Iraq, down 26 points in a year. But disillusionment is not the same as rebellion. Republicans, usually not a band of rebels, still pray that Bush can succeed in Iraq. Thus Hagel waits, hyping a non-announcement to say he’s around if the world and the party move his way. What he really wants is to overturn the foreign policy of Bush 43 and restore the old-fashioned Republican approach of Bush 41. He may have to split his party and run as an independent to do it. E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is postchat@aol.com. © 2007, Washington Post Writers Group Previous item: The Forgotten War Next item: Campaign 2008: Adultery Becomes Ho-Hum Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig. Add Your Comment |
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By Margaret Currey, March 19, 2007 at 2:40 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Joe Liberman and Hiliary might have been for the war but can they not change their mind, I am not for war, but in the beginning this looked like it might be a winner, wwhat Bushie Boy should have done before the elections was get rid of Runsfeld, I mean how can you do a war on the cheap, war is not like a game of chess, the real reason Runsfeld used the National Guard is only those who were allready in the service would pay the price, if this was Vietnam instead of a volunteer army heads would allready have rolled.
IMPEACH BOTH CHANEY, BUSH AND RICE BECAUSE THIS GOVERNMENT WILL GO DOWN FASTER THE LONGER THESE CLOWNS STAY IN OFFICE.
Margaret from Vancouver, Washington
Report thisBy Hank Van den Berg, March 16, 2007 at 2:06 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
I live in Nebraska, and I know that Chuck Hagel is not going anywhere in the race for President.
Chuck is not anything like he appears; he has the most pro-Bush voting record in the Senate. He talks a good game, but then he always turns around and votes with the fascists every time it really matters. I suspect that he is part of the “good cop, bad cop” strategy of the White House because his actions have invariably resulted in the White House winning crucial votes after he mellowed the opposition. Check it out. Every time! No, we will have to vote for a Democrat if we want change.
By the way, Hagel was a somewhat unethical businessman before running for the Senate. His questionable methods for winning cellphone franschises in Puerto rico and elsewhere got him the name of “cellular Chuck” during his first run for office. Of course, since he bought his way to the Republican nomination in this completely Republican state, he won that election. But for crying out loud, let’s not promote this slimy character for President.
Report thisBy Homer Hewitt, March 14, 2007 at 9:59 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Chuck Hagel with Joe Lieberman as running mate? You must be kidding - war critic and war supporter?
Mr. Hagel is certainly off to a woeful start with his hyped-up non-announcement.
Fred Thompson looks presidential and certainly could campaign well. Is he at all moderate on cultural issues?
Giuliani - if Nixon was the imperial president and Bush the executive power president, just think of what we would get with Giuliani in action as chief executive.
Homer http://www.altara.blogspot.com
Report thisBy Ken Mitchell, March 14, 2007 at 3:23 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
It is common to see Presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain refered to as “libertarian Republicans”. I would like to point out that there isn’t much about either candidate to make them Libertarian. They are really just proponents of big government.
Mr. Giuliani supports gun control. He also supports the use of eminent domain to take property from a homeowner and give that property to a private real estate developer. Both of these positions are against the heart of the Libertarian Party: property rights.
Mr. McCain prefers to rob us of free speech with his atrocious McCain-Feingold Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform Act also known as BCRA. Due to this law, NASCAR driver Kirk Shelmerdine was recently “admonished” and threatened with a large fine because he had a “Bush-Cheney” bumper sticker on the back of his race car. McCain is well-known in Washington and the sports world as a regulator and a stifler of free speech. That strikes at another fundamental principle of our Libertarian party: liberty. He also supports the war in Iraq.
The only Libertarian in the Republican field of presidential candidates is US Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Ron Paul, an MD by profession, is often called “Dr. No” because he only votes “yes” for laws that protect life, liberty, and property. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with McCain or Giuliani.
Report thisBy Dennis D, March 13, 2007 at 6:28 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
“Why not Chuck Hagel? For that matter, why not Fred Thompson?”
Why not Homer Simpson - he can’t do any worse and at least he’s a real cartoon character - at least we’ll know what we’re getting. DOOOHHHHH
Report thisBy Jeff Badura, March 13, 2007 at 4:46 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
This story is just wishful thinking for the lib’s!! its McCain or Thompson who will be our next President!! it will all come out in the wash!! its the Dem’s who are in disarray? thanks to the nut-roots!! thanks guys your the GOP’s best asset in 08 for your going to make the Dem’s go so far left they cant come back in the general! the GOP has no such problem !!
Hagel is a joke your smoking the wacky weed if you think he appeals to the GOP !!
illgramaticus knee o’kaun
Report thisBy fiskhus jim, March 13, 2007 at 11:48 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Let’s see…
Rudy Giulani is a crossdressing ypocrite who is incapable of true family feeling or values; a miserable long-range planner who does not understand the imprtance of strategy; and an arrogant, strident harpie of a politician.
Chuck Hagel never ran for office till he could guarantee his own victory because the votes were counted on his very own proprietary vioting machines.
Next?
Report thisBy mite, March 13, 2007 at 11:22 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
To: Steve Hammons #58323
I agree with your perspective of Rep. Ron Paul a true representative of “We-The-People” who said on C-Span March 12, 2007 his run for President.
A true Constitutionalist and a record to prove it during his time in the House. The main stream media’s deliberate black-out of coverage, any one who could really debate the established puppets of our masters.
But of coarse the deliberate dumbing down of America produces people ignorant of what the Constitution is let alone what it protects.
Report thisBy Quy Tran, March 13, 2007 at 11:13 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
If GOP keeps Rudy Giuliani or Newt that means more demons play marionettes !
Report thisBy Steve Hammons, March 13, 2007 at 9:10 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Chuck Hagel, Gen. Wes Clark, Rep. Ron Paul ... there are many honorable and solid candidates available who can provide good leadership, unlike what we have had for many years.
Are Americans, with our problematic political and election systems, ready to break from the past and vote for new kinds of candidates ... or even third parties? These are big questions and worthwhile questions.
For more on these ideas, the article below may be of interest:
“A much-needed new path for 2008: Time for independent and third-party candidates to emerge, transcend and unite?”
By Steve Hammons
Columnist, PopulistAmerica.com
Populist Party of America
March 5, 2007
http://www.populistamerica.com/a_much_needed_new_path_ for_2008
Report thisBy Margaret Currey, March 13, 2007 at 7:25 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Chuck Hagel is the only star finally, and if he runs as an Independent then he can pick Liberman as his running mate.
Although Hiliary looks good, Chuck might be a good choice also.
Margaret from Vancouver, WA
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