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Politics : The Next President 2008 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tadsamillionaire who wrote (348)	2/1/2007 7:34:55 PM
From: Tadsamillionaire	Respond to of 3215

It's official: Chuck Hagel is the new John McCain, getting glowing treatment from glam publications such as GQ. And John McCain is the new Bob Dole – and we know what kind of press Mr. Dole got. Once upon a time – say, five years ago – the liberal media were infatuated with Mr. McCain. Yes, the Republican senator from Arizona was a hard-line conservative on most matters, but he was sufficiently unorthodox on a few (campaign finance, global warming, tax cuts) to be newsworthy. In addition, he was enough of a President Bush basher to keep up interest in what he might say next. But the Mainstream Media's affection for the senator has come to an end, for two reasons: First, Mr. McCain, seeking to inherit the Bush political legacy, is now posing as Mr. Bush's best buddy. Second, the Iraq war. The media, and most of the country, have reached a negative judgment on the war, and so the McCain campaign plank "If you like Bush's foreign policy, you'll love my foreign policy" is playing poorly. The recipient of media blessings these days is Mr. Hagel, senator from Nebraska. As a Republican critical of the Bush policy in Iraq, Mr. Hagel is infinitely more valuable to the anti-war cause than a mere Democrat. Especially one who uses such punchy language, referring to the surge as the "most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam." Such hot talk has earned Mr. Hagel a place of honor in the pages of GQ magazine's January issue, under the headline "The Angry One." And the object of much of Mr. Hagel's anger, of course – to the media's obvious delight – is Mr. Bush and his neoconservative coterie. So what does it mean for the future of national politics if Mr. Hagel is the new McCain? Two conclusions: First, the Nebraskan is now viewed with deep suspicion among many rank-and-file Republicans – the folks who control the GOP nomination process. Second, as his stock goes down among Republicans, it goes up among independents. Even liberals might conclude that it will take a certified war hero – Mr. Hagel won two Purple Hearts in Vietnam – to make a credible exit from Iraq. All of which means there's a chance for Mr. Hagel to follow in the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt in 1912: He could bolt the GOP and run a credible independent bid for the White House. He might even win.