I had to chuckle upon reading all the latest local buzz about Senator Hagel as a potential running mate for Barack Obama. Love Chuck or hate Chuck, I credit this local excitement to a lot of wishful thinking mixed with the fact that he is truly Nebraska's only national caliber politician right now (sorry Ben), and Nebraskans love the idea of a Nebraskan in the white house.
But now even CNN is getting into the act. No doubt this has been the strangest and most exciting election year in a long time, but I can't see an Obama/Hagel ticket happening by any reasonable stretch of the imagination. For all the obvious reasons, as well as because Chuck and McCain are very close friends. I will literally eat my shoe if Obama chooses Hagel as a running mate.
Having said that, I am Hagel fan and was looking forward to voting for him had there been a Hagel vs. Bruning showdown in the primary. I believe Hagel would make an excellent Secretary of State or Defense in either an Obama or McCain administration.
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To me, it looks like a decent pick. Hagel hasn’t been supportive of the war. He has war time experience, something that Obama doesn’t have. Bridging the two parties can tie into Obama’s message of bringing the country together.
Would there be a better republican candidate that could mesh with Obama?
Picking Hagel as VP would put more states into play. The most recent SurveyUSA poll puts Obama over the top in Nebraska with Hagel on the ticket but I can’t see that happening. He is still a Republican and a friend of McCain after all. I do see Hagel having a spot in an Obama administration though. He’d make a good pick for SecDef although I could also see Obama keeping Robert Gates in that spot.
I think this is as likely to happen as pigs flying or a light rail between Omaha and Lincoln.
Seriously, Obama and his people must just laugh when they read this stuff.
I can see it in a weird alternate universe maybe, but not this one. Hagel might serve in the administration, but I don’t see him considering leaving the party to be a VP. That’s more of a John McCain-type ploy. 😉
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