Jonathan Stark gave a very tidy comment to the USA Today (after replacing previous Communications Director and current Chief of Staff, Mike Buttry.) The response from Stark came as Jim Leach, a former Republican congressman from Iowa, said during a gathering of GOPers for Obama that Hagel would be a great VP for Obama.
Some blogs and websites are already jabbering about the possibility of a "fallout" between Hagel and Obama or a "deal" with McCain so he wouldn't join forces with Obama, this is all rubbish. The facts are pretty simple and anyone with a political mind can tell you that Hagel, a Senator that was more in line in 2006 and 2007 with the Republican baseline (outside of the issue of Iraq) than any other Senator would have clearly been a bad choice for Obama. Senator Hagel is a straight talker (similar to the pre-2002 version of McCain) and would not shy away from his positions such as pro-life, anti-gay, or anti-Universal Healthcare. Hardly a good Vice-Presidential Candidate.. for a democrat.
Well, naive democrats, the dream of a Obama-Hagel Ticket are gone.. unless Obama comes to his senses on domestic and moral issues in 2012...
And now a gem from Senator Hagel during an interview in Business Week on December 4, 1998:
We have got to focus on a positive agenda so we can govern, or the American public will turn us out... Every colleague I've spoken to is scared to death about that.
--Strong Moderate
P.S. Some inside information on the Hagel office may be coming soon...
Links:
Sen. Hagel won't be endorsing a presidential candidate - USA Today on Politics Blog
Hagel won't endorse McCain or Obama, Spokesman says - CNN
A Talk with Senator Chuck Hagel, Busnisess' Wunderkid - Business Week, December 4, 1998
