The preliminary buzz (and by buzz we mean circumstantial speculation of the media) is that Chuck Hagel is positioning himself for a run for the presidency in 2008. News people seem to think that Hagel's criticism of the war in Iraq stems from his presidential aspirations and the almost universal sense among Republicans that, in order to succeed in '08, any viable candidate must distance himself from the President, particularly on the issue of Iraq.
However, the Blue South does not necessarily think Hagel's criticism of the war is necessarily political in nature (at least not entirely). After all, Hagel does not only have a war record, he has war wounds, and lots of them. And Hagel didn't receive those wounds in just any war, it was the Vietnam War. And since it seems in vogue to draw comparisons between the Iraq and Vietnam wars, the logical conclusion might be that Hagel, who witnessed the shortcomings of American policy in Vietnam first hand, simply doesn't want Iraq to turn into the same kind of conflict.
Now, the Blue South is on the record as saying that Iraq is definitely NOT Vietnam, and we stand by that assertion. However, there are similarities, at least superficially. But we want to give Hagel more credit. We like the guy. He's what McCain might be if he were a few years younger. Hagel's a tough guy. He just told the US Senate that, if they want an easy job, "go sell shoes." Chuck Hagel might be just what the Republican party needs: a tough guy that can appear to be tough on security matters, yet pragmatic in the face of disaster. And it is pragmatism that we desparately need in the politics of our country.
The American people did not elect a whole bunch of Democrats last year because they want hippie love-ins, higher taxes, and expanded government. What America wants is a counter-balance to the President, who has sought to expand the powers of his office drastically since he's been there. America is not a nation of politically polarized people. They do not exist only at the far ends of the spectrum. The vast majority of American people are in the middle, where they ought to be. That's because we're a nation of pragmatists (just ask John Dewey, William James, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., etc.). As far as we're concerned at the Blue South, Chuck Hagel's a pragmatist, he's the kind of guy we need in politics, and we like him.
