Fox News reports former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has endorsed Joe Sestak for Senate in PA

[flpoljunkie]

Interesting.

[tabatha]

1. Chuck Hagel was against the Iraq war.

And was probably close to crossing the aisle.

[karynnj]

6. Hagel is a good guy, but it was not until after 2006 that he turned against the war

He is a good guy and was an intelligent voice on the SFRC. He now is aligned with a think tank that John Kerry and others founded that Gary Hart heads. It is bipartisan and the goal is sensible foreign policy.

[Inuca]

9. Also head of the Atlantic Council

replacing Jim Jones.

[femmocrat]

2. Too bad he has no clout in PA.

Doubt if many people even remember him.

[Inuca]

7. Probably true, but

it looks like they are going to actually campaign together, it's not just a lip service endorsement. My guess is that Hagel can be quite persuasive to sane people, of either political party, when he puts his heart into it.

[Phx_Dem]

3. I always liked Chuck Hagel. He's now the last of the tolerable Republicans.

He party has gone over teh edge and he knows it.

[progressoid]

5. Sadly, he was waaay too liberal for Nebraska Repubs.

Other than his opposition to the war, his voting record is all that liberal.

http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/chuck_hagel.htm

But he saw the writing on the wall and knew what the future held for him in this crazy version of the GOP.

[bigdarryl]

4. Hagel's going to be the next Defense Secretary mark my word

[karynnj]

8. that would be an excellent choice

He is a Vietnam vet. Obama likely knows him well from the SFRC.

[DCBob]

10. I think you are right.. He is qualified, Obama likes him and he is respected on both sides.

This endorsement may be the beginning of the process.

[Inuca]

11. ALso fron-listed on Kos

and a diaryon the rec list. Some interesting comments, such as

Absolutely huge is Central/Western PA (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by: mangusta, bythesea
Military culture plus pragmatism is strong there and Hagel's endorsement will really help. This endorsement, unlikely

[MH1]

12. I think this endorsement really helps on many levels

Dems supposedly have a registration advantage but (sadly) republicans are more likely to vote in this election. There are still a lot of sane republicans in this state. (Sane as in not batshit loony enough to support Toomey if they know what he's about.) Hagel gives them cover to consider voting for a - gasp - Democrat. And any liberal who knows Sestak's record is not going to be scared off by the endorsement of a moderate republican.

[JVS]

13. This should be helpful if the moderate Specter voters are the question mark here.