Hagel has been getting a lot of attention for being a Republican who is actually saying the truth about the Republican War in the Middle East. A lot of people here are celebrating his comments on Iraq, and for eviscerating Joe Lieberman the other day on MTP. Others are not budging in their disdain for him because he "sucks on every other issue." (Truth is, like even many elected Democrats, he does suck on many issues.)
But I am sufficiently grateful to hear him buck the sound bites and immoral posturing of his party-mates who justify the continued murder in Iraq (AND for the absoulute Death Ray of Truth he directed at Lieberman) that I thought I would research some "Hagelisms" on Iraq, and the Republican Party, for DKos dissemination.
Here are my Top 10 so far.
1- "I think our involvement there has destabilized the Middle East. And the longer we stay there, I think the further destabilization will occur." ASSOCIATED PRESS, August 21, 2005
2- "The longer we stay there, the more similarities (to Vietnam) are going to come together." USA Today, 8/21/05
3- "We lose credibility in the face of the world when we say things like, 'Well, don't forget, what happened to Iraq could happen to you, Iran.'" Christian Science Monitor, August 25, 2005
4 - "...in fact we had a policy that was losing. And the members of Congress were interestingly silent and absent in asking tough questions. As long as I'm a United States senator, I will do everything I can to ensure that we have a policy worthy of these brave young men and women who are sacrificing their lives and doing the things that they do for this country. I don't think that policy is there today." MTP
5- "We've got to have a clear objective of what it is we want to do in Iraq. We went into Iraq and it was all about regime change, weapons of mass destruction and that Saddam was not complying with U.N. mandates. Now the objective is to fight terrorists. That wasn't the objective when we went in. There were no terrorists. As bad as Saddam was, and he was bad and needed to be taken out, but he was not in league with terrorists." Nebraska American Legion Convention, Grand Island Independent, 6/25/05
6- "We're isolating ourselves in the world... And I think that the leadership of the Pentagon has done that in many ways to us... This issue of a secretary of defense not personally signing these letters is just astounding." CNN, 12/19/04
7- "Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is, we're losing in Iraq." US News and World Report, 6/18/05
8- On White House stonewalling on pre-war intelligence. "I think the Democrats had a valid point. This has been frustrating. There are very legitimate and critical questions that need to be answered... That is the responsibility of governance. That's part of leadership. And we don't have answers for all those things." [Omaha World-Herald, 11/11/05]
9- On the "change" in the Republican party. "First time I voted was in 1968 on top of a tank in the Mekong Delta. I voted a straight Republican ticket. It's not what it used to be. I don't think it's the same today." ABC News, Aug 20, 2006.
10- In Aug. about the upcoming national elections, "I think we've lost our way. And I think the Republicans are going to be in some jeopardy for that and will be held accountable." (see above.)