Here we go Hagel is on

[Monkeyman]

Will he run

[Monkeyman]

1. MSNBC THINKS SO

[Perky]

18. He is going to be hammered for this by the pundits and by other guys

and the money guys are not going to give him any money.

ALthought I am betting that this non-annoucment is a gut check anouncement to freeze Thompson.

[SlowDownFast]

2. Of course he's gonna run...

why else would he announce a 'major announcement'?

edit: Oh, he's announcing that he will announce a major announcement later on this year.

Truly bizarre.

[bryant69]

8. Maybe he's got a scent?

That was pretty big for a while, and Congresspeople are always behind the times.

Buy Chuck Hagel's "Adequacy." You'll smell adequate, just like Chuck Hagel!

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Monkeyman]

3. POUNDING HIMSELF ON HIS BACK

[WiseButAngrySara]

4. Has he announced yet? ....n/t

[maddezmom]

5. Not sounding like it....sounds like he's staying in the Senate

[maddezmom]

6. actually, he just said...he'll make the decision later this year

[WiseButAngrySara]

10. Announcing he will announce later! LOL ??? ..n/t

[maddezmom]

13. Our guys did the same thing

:D Sometimes even giving us the date and city they would be announcing in. It's all about keeping their name in the press...no matter which side.

[sellitman]

7. They really have a lousy field of candidates so far..

This doesn't change that view point.

[Monkeyman]

9. HE LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN

Not Yet it looks like.

[Monkeyman]

11. NO NOT TODAY

[Monkeyman]

12. What the hell Divert Divert

[SlowDownFast]

14. WTF?

That 'announcement' was just bizarre.

Announcing that he will announce an announcement later this year.

[tridim]

15. I'm sure the press just loved to fly to Nebraska to hear him not announce.

:eyes:

[H2O Man]

16. Strange.

Really strange. I think that there has to be something more to this hollow presentation. But what?

[PCIntern]

17. Maybe they got to him

just before he was to announce. "BTW...remember that gal you met on the train 12 years ago...??"

We had that happen here in Philly for the mayoral race. The guy who was the city controller for YEARS announced, opened a campaign hq, and closed ti 24 hours later.

Ooops...

[Graybeard]

22. Same thing happened here in NYC...

...we had a guy named Andy Stein who told everybody, from the time he was in high school, that he would be mayor of NY. He was ahead in all the polls, HQ opened all over, placards were printed and the day before his scheduled announcement...he disappeared from the face of the earth. It happens.

[Graybeard]

20. When he first stepped up to the podium I noticed...

...that his eyes looked blood-shot. Was he up all night? Had he been crying? He certainly looked like a person deeply disturbed; that he was not sayng what he wanted to say. I agree. There is more to this...

[H2O Man]

21. It made no more sense,

on the surface, than if he called a press conference to comment on Britney's recent hair cut.

What is under the surface? Hard to say right now, but that is where the real story must be.

[blm]

24. Because announcing now would mean stepping UP criticism of BushInc and they

know it, because that is what differentiated Hagel from the rest of the pack.

This would not have gone down well with the WH and its cronies.

[H2O Man]

25. I have no

problem with not announcing now. But this was distinct from not announcing.

[blm]

31. I agree - that's why I submitted the WHY BushInc would work to stop a Hagel

run at this time.

[bdamomma]

29. maybe Rove got to him

you never know with these thugs.

[quinnox]

19. HAGEL

with an E.

[progressoid]

23. BREAKING NEWS......Hagel announces: There is no news.

"Thanks for coming. The next time I have nothing to say, I'll be sure to schedule another news conference.

Omaha appreciates your patronage.

Drive safely."

[Blackhatjack]

26. A possible explanation.....

Hagel probably got calls from the 'moneyed interests' behind the Republican Party and was told that not only would they not contribute to his campaign, but that they would finance an opponent to run against him at reelection to the Senate.

Hagel has been positioning himself to pick up the independents and the undecideds with his anti-war statements. THen today he says he is "not anti-war???"

Some pressure has been brought to bear on Chuck, and he had to say something after having scheduled a major news conference --"I will announce my decision later in the year" was the best he could do on the fly.

I suspect that he has been reeled in by those who can put the screws to him. We will know for sure if he starts speaking in favor of the war, or even if he goes silent on the war. I would not bet too many dollars that he is going to be as outspoken against the war in the future as he has up to this point.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

30. Are you thinking that if Hagel is a good boy for the >

> next few months that the money guys will reconsider?

I can sort of see that somce Hagel seems very electable (could have broader appeal than some of the other characters who have announced) but he needs to be more control-able.

[Poiuyt]

27. I wonder how this will affect Fred Thompson's decision as to whether or not to

enter the race

[TwilightGardener]

28. If you don't live in Nebraska, you probably didn't see his whole speech--

He is talking like a candidate--brought up all sorts of issues, including health care and entitlements. I said this on another thread, but he is starting to run and raise money. Assume he'll be in the race, until he rules it out.