A nice little comment, Hagel on JK's patriotism

[Inuca]

"If you are so cowardly not to have the courage to use your name, or to step up front when you want to question John Kerry's patriotism, I think you're despicable"

Kind of interesting Newsweek web interview from yesterday http://www.newsweek.com/id/131076 ‘My Endorsement is Irrelevant’

[Luftmensch067]

1. Very nice indeed

I liked this interview (thanks for posting!)

[karynnj]

2. That is an interesting interview

and does that even at least one politician on the other side sees the extreme partisanship as dysfunctional.

[wisteria]

3. I really enjoyed that article. The Comments by Sen. Hagle in regards to Sen. Kerry were wonderful.

Thanks for finding this and posting it.

[JI7]

4. i think Hagel may regret not doing more in 2004

in fact he was mostly silent then. but he also wasn't close to Kerry as McCain was so i was more disappointed in McCain at the time.

in that quote, i wonder if he was thinking of Bush when he said that.

but i'm really glad to see this since i hadn't seen much from him on what happened back then. and this at least shows how he feels about it. i do remember Kerry had good words about him when he announced he wont run again.

i hope he continues to speak out. people like Hagel and Voinovich are some of the good ones in the Republican Party.

[Inuca]

5. I don't know much about

what he did or did not say/do in 04. A while back I googled for some info about his reaction, if any, to the swiftboats, but I did not find anything particularly relevant, as far as I remember.

[JI7]

6. he said nothing then

i think it was because at the time he was planning to run in 2008 and didn't want his defending Kerry to hurt him among Republican Primary voters, especially if Kerry had become President. the same reason McCain gave a weak defense.

that's why i'm wondering if Hagel kind of regrets that now. defending a fellow soldiers patriotism should not be based on political calculations.

[Inuca]

7. I guess/hope he does

especially in view of the abundant backstabbing and name calling that he was subjected to himself since. I found this sentence from the interview revealing and even touching "There's a larger universe than that, which requires challenging and probing. You've gotta fight that fight every day". Anyway... I like him. I think that, in spite of the obvious differences on many issues, he belongs together with JK to same depressingly small group of politicians who actually give a damn and are not in it mainly for personal gain and the ego trip.

[JI7]

8. i like him also

i think Hagel and Kerry have also developed respect and admiration for each other as they got to know each other.

in fact i'm thinking Hagel might be a good choice for keynote at the Democratic Convention. but only if he endorses Obama, and the top issue at the time is Iraq or other related foreign policy. and especially if Joe Lieberman gives the keynote at the Republican Convention which i think might happen.

[blm]

9. It's not hard to see Hagel being disgusted by McCain's treatment of a fellow vet then, as well as

the attack on Kerry from Bush-McCain-McClinton in 2006.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk1k0nUWEQg

[beachmom]

10. Thanks for posting. Some startling but truthful words from Hagel.

I think he is referring to all the GOP political operatives and donors who peddled those lies.