This has to be the single weirdest presidential "announcement" in my lifetime. After lining up all the national media to announce a presidential run, Chuck Hagel didn't.

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) postponed a final decision on a presidential bid today and again declined to rule out the possibility that he would run as an independent.

"In making this announcement, I believe there will still be political options open to me at a later date," Hagel said at a news conference this morning in Omaha. "I cannot control that, and I do not worry about it."

The announcement, which was billed by Hagel and his staff as a definitive answer to questions about his political future, left far more questions than answers.

Hagel offered no insight into whether a presidential candidacy would preclude a run for a third Senate term, saying only that he would continue to raise money for both his Senate campaign committee and his political action committee.

Maybe White Flag Republican Hagel has figured out that there is no future for him on the national level -- or is acting like a Neo-Copperhead Democrat and counting on a disaster in Iraq as the means of advancing his political future. Speaking as a republican, I can only say that, politically, Hagel is dead to me -- and I will sit home rather than vote for any ticket that he would run on. Indeed, he may be the only Republican I'd be less likely to vote for than John McCain.

Posted by: Greg at 04:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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