Chuck Hagel news stories on Newser

Obama Friendship Sunk Lugar

Kevin Spak — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:49:34 CDT

Dick Lugar's legendary Senate career came crashing to an end last night, and NPR laments that he was ironically "undone by his greatest strength." There were many reasons Tea Partier Richard Mourdock prevailed—Lugar is 80, ran a bad campaign, and was attacked for not owning a house in Indiana,...

Politicians We'll Miss in 2009

Kevin Spak — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 12:29:01 CST

The election is over, a political era is ending, and a number of this year's frequent headline-makers will step out of the spotlight in 2009. Politico gets misty-eyed about its favorites: Dick Cheney: Who else would tell a senior senator to “go f*** himself”? Who else, when asked about the...

GOP Picks for Obama's 'Team of Rivals'

Gabriel Winant — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:26:01 CST

Barack Obama talks a good game about bipartisanship. But now that he’s staffing up, it’s time to see if he walks the walk. The Wall Street Journal runs through some potential GOP appointees: Jim Leach. This former Iowa congressman was chosen to help represent the president-elect at the G-20. He’s...

Clinton Rumored On Short List for Secretary of State

Harry Kimball — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:18:05 CST

The Washington rumor mill has spit out an interesting item: Barack Obama may be considering erstwhile archrival Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State, the Post reports. Obama is not pleased with names floated for the position, including Sens. John Kerry and Chuck Hagel and Gov. Bill Richardson. Clinton might salve...

Foreign Policy Drove Wedge Between Hagel, McCain

Kevin Spak — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:25:51 CDT

Though Chuck Hagel and John McCain have plenty in common as Republican senators and Vietnam veterans, the Nebraskan says foreign policy is why he’s not on board. “In good conscience, I could not enthusiastically—honestly—go out and endorse him,” Hagel tells the New Yorker , “when we so fundamentally disagree...

Obama ISO VP Who Can Govern

Caroline Zimmerman — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 13:09:42 CDT

Barack Obama won’t pick a veep based on trying to win a specific region, he said today on Meet the Press . Instead, he’ll focus on “somebody who can help me govern,” Politico reports. The Dem also complimented both Clintons, saying the former first lady “would be on anybody’s short list....

Brzezinski Down on Idea of Afghan 'Surge'

Jonas Oransky — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:25:32 CDT

The presidential candidates seem to agree that Afghanistan needs a troop surge, but Zbigniew Brzezinski doesn’t. Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, now a Barack Obama backer, says he's concerned that the US is “literally running the risk of unintentionally doing what the Russians did,” and being perceived as an invading...

Obama Arrives in Iraq

Rob Quinn — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:49:57 CDT

Barack Obama landed in Basra today and headed to Baghdad for the latest leg of his world tour, the Washington Post reports. The candidate, who made a brief stop in Kuwait last night after 2 days in Afghanistan, will meet with US commanders and Iraqi officials and speak with US...

Obama Meets Afghan Leaders, Reiterates Support

Kevin Spak — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:03:09 CDT

Barack Obama met today with officials from one of Afghanistan’s most hard-fought regions, the AP reports, and re-iterated his commitment to intensifying US efforts there if elected president. Together with Chuck Hagel and Jack Reed, Obama visited Jalalabad Air Field in Nangarhar province. Nangarhar lies next to the Pakistani border,...