Sen. Hagel to Retire

According to this report in the Omaha World-Herald, GOP (sometimes) Sen. Chuck Hagel will announce his retirement on Monday effective at the end of his term in 2008:

WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday.

Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.

Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.

According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel's staff learned of his decision that afternoon.

The North Platte native earned national recognition as perhaps the most vocal, at times angry, GOP critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policies.

His outspokenness on Iraq and other key issues, including Social Security and foreign policy, fueled national interest in Hagel as he flirted with a possible presidential bid.

His national profile reached its zenith in March, when he headed to Omaha to hold a press conference on his political future.

But amid wide speculation that he was leaning toward a White House run, Hagel announced that he would disclose his plans later in the year.

In March he generated a fair amount of ire from the press when he called them all to Omaha to announce that he hadn't made up his mind about anything. Maybe this time he'll have some actual news. As far as any "national interest" in Hagel as president, the writer is being generous. Had their been any actual "national interest" Hagel would have joined the campaign.

This race will be very competitive, especially if former Sen. Bob Kerrey decided to move back home from New York City and run for the job. He hasn't lived in Nebraska for some time, and I don't know how important that will be to Nebraska voters. New Yorkers didn't seem to care that Hillary Clinton had never lived in New York when they sent her to the Senate in 2000.

Hagel of late has had a bad case of RINOitis and seemed to be trying to play the old John McCain "maverick" role. He knew he could generate a lot of press by simply criticizing the president and his fellow Republicans. I, for one, will not miss him. I'm not sure losing that seat to a Democrat would make that much difference when the votes are tallied.