What’s up with Chuck?

Chuck Hagel (R-Neb) recently announced that he will later announce his intentions to run or not to run for president. Why the vagueness? I think it has a lot to do with his position on the Iraq war and how the surge fairs. Senator Hagel has taken an interesting position by distancing himself from the Republican base. As far as I know, he is the only Republican to do so and the reason for this, in my opinion, has everything to do with the 2008 presidential election.

Here is why: The war is very unpopular. Let’s face it, no one likes where this thing is going. Sure some people, like me, see the importance of a successful outcome. However, I think most of America just wants out. So any person seeking the presidency, must, and I mean absolutely must want out of Iraq, have a way out of Iraq, or simply think this was a foolish idea in the first place.

This is where it gets tricky for a candidate. I believe who wins the white house depends mainly on how Iraq turns out. PREDICTION 1: Should the surge actually bring some much needed success, I think the Republicans take the office as well as take back the house and senate. PREDICTION 2: If Iraq completely spirals into chaos, I think it is pretty much a slam dunk the Democrats win.

However, this is where it gets interesting. Should Iraq fail, senator Hagel can tout himself as the only Republican to stand against the surge and thus make himself a viable alternative to the anti-war Democrats. By taking the position he has, senator Hagel and to some degree all the Democrat candidates have a vested interest in the United Stats losing Iraq. This is a very dangerous position to take and one that I believe influences their decisions. People seeking office should put their country ahead of their personal goals. Yet sadly, this is not so, for either party.

This leads back to Senator Hagel’s decision to announce his intention to announce later his intentions to run or not to run for the office of the President of the United States. PREDICTION 3: If Iraq has some signs of success, the senator will not run for office. If Iraq fails, he will seek, but lose, the office of the presidency. Either way, I do not see him even getting the Republican nomination.

Let us see in six-nine months how I did.