Hagel talks a lot and rarely backs it up with action.

from the democratic base over this choice. It is an interesting idea, but not the VP spot. It will hard to motivate local elected officials who are crucial in putting in play and setting up the ground game. He can offer him or spread the rumor to offering him an important post in his administration, but it shouldn't go further than that.

as another bullet for a future hit diary.  Never mind that Obama never said it, or intimated he'd select a Republican for the VP slot.

Cause that would be too rational.  Don't need rationality on the tubes.

Sure, ignore Hagel's voting record always with the gop and Obama's lies too.

About as dumb as Clinton for governor of NY.

Clinton/Obama is a winner but lets lose three in a row.

Amazing.  

 I would not support Hagel as VP but I do like the idea of him as somebody to be a surrogate for Obama on defense issues. And it doesn't hurt that Hagel and McCain have been aligned from time to time on high profile issues. This could play both as a validation of Obama and a diss of McCain should Hagel endorse him. I would welcome the endorsement and hope it does not lead to a VP offer.

Isn't Hagel buddies with McCain?

So Obama thinking about going for the ESS vote?

Seriously, is it too much to ask that the VP be anti-torture? 'cause Hagel voted for the Military Commissions Act.

Of course so did Sen. Lugar (along with bringing Clarence Thomas to Washington), and Obama is talking about making Lugar Sec of Defense.

So I guess Obama WANTS to aleinate the women's vote.

Many things COULD happen.  This seems like a non-story, though perhaps we could use a turncoat Republican supporter for our own purposes.  It would offset the awesome Joementum from the other side.

Is this a joke?  Chuck Hagel backed the war resolution.  In fact I think he introduced it.  His position on it was exactly the same as Hillary Clinton's.  If Obama wants to keep making the (utterly ridiculous) claim that he is wiser on war than Clinton, he certainly can't line up with Hagel.

Hagel has said Bush personally assured him that he would exhaust diplomatic avenues before committing troops to Iraq and that he voted for the war resolution based on those assurances, but regrets the vote because it's now clear that lawmakers were presented with lies and wishful thinking.

That's pretty much identical to HRC, except that she was briefed by the Administration but not necessarily personally by Bush.

I respect Hagel's open contempt for the conduct of the occupation but does anyone seriously think that any Democrat would put a Republican in a position to run for President in 2016?  Or, God forbid, a Republican assuming the Presidency between 2009 and 20013?  

Not the VP spot because it is next in line to the presidency, on principle it seems like it should stay one party.

But I think his endorsement would be fantastic, and I don't see why he could not play a part in an Obama administration.  He's been pretty courageous in standing up against his party.

The MSM speculation is like when they do the entertainment news.  Somebody was seen talking to somebody, or having lunch with them, and suddenly they're an item.  Sometimes a conversation is just a conversation and a lunch is just a lunch.

Obama will pick a Democrat as a running mate.  

Sorry but I have to add that the words "Obama administration" just sound so good.

I saw that exchange this morning, and what I took away from it is that Chuck Hagel was saying pretty clearly that he did not plan to endorse Barack Obama, and that Chuck Hagel has no intention of being Obama's VP running mate.

He may have phrased it in a cordial way, to avoid the inevitable soundbite coming back to bite him in the butt on Hardball tonite. But it was pretty clear Hagel has no intention of becoming a Democrat, or helping the Democratic Party nominee, or running for office with a Democrat.

Chuck Hagel is a Republican, and while he may differ with some Republicans leading the party these days, he doesn't strike me as an opportunist, which he'd have to be if he ran as Barack Obama's VP.

Sheesh. This diary is truly a stretch, if you ask me.

I'd rather have him in the VP spot than an important office like Secretary of State.

At this point, with the level of vitriol in the race (mostly amongst the supporters rather than the candidates themselves), Obama-Clinton seems like an almost inevitable ticket.

I guess it's a measure of this primary season that all posts today are reading to me like April Fool's jokes, including my own.  I think we are in a truly "Through the Looking Glass" political season.  

I'm thinking about endorsing Obama. Would that automagically get me on the VP consideration list?

It could work. Hagel's among the best of a bad lot, and has been one of the few Goopers to actually stand up to the Bush League.  McCain is trying to pretend to be where Hagel really is.

Also, it seems to me Obama is in a position to fight the GOP for the farm belt this year. States like Kansas, the Dakotas and Indiana could be in play. Adding a Nebraskan to the ticket would be a sign that Obama would commit to those states. One reason we haven't done well in the prairie is that it's hard to justify the amount of time and energy it would take to try and move, say, North Dakota's 3 EVs, which are usually considered immovably Republican.  It might be worth while, though, if we were making a play for several prairie states at once.

I would expect Hagel to change his party affiliation to at least Independent, though. Calling the Democratic ticket the "Unity" party would be a bit hard to swallow.

than choosing a Republican for the VP slot.

Let Chuck Hagel prove himself first with a solid voting record.  Let him change parties if he wants to run as a Democrat.

God, I can't believe Obama would even consider this.    And I can't believe how incredibly stupid this party can be at times.  Of all times in history!  You have to be kidding me!  The Republican party has thoroughly disgraced itself and nearly ruined this country.  So the first time we get a chance to take the White House we do what?  Put a Republican on the ticket???  They can't raise money, they can't find a decent candidate for their party.  We've been fighting for eight years against this completely hijacked and rotten, compromised Republican party.  And at the first opportunity, we're going to put them back in the administration??

It's utter, absolute insanity.  Or worse.  If this happened, I would have to believe that we've been betrayed all this freaking time.

God help us.  I'm really, really angry right now, but I'm thinking, if that happens, I'm outta here.  I am about to absolutely give up on this party and this country.

< end of rant>

If any Republican were ever on a Democratic ticket I could not vote for him or her. It would be a deal breaker for me as someone who has voted straight Democratic in every election since 2002. And it also couldn't be someone who just switched parties from R to D. It has to be a true Democrat.

No Republicans, please. A Republican as a vice-presidential candidate is a choice that makes me seriously consider voting third-party, which I have resisted for several decades.

I'm already seriously disappointed in Obama. This would just about kill any remaining enthusiasm I might be able to muster.

What about Colin Powell. He needs to redeem himself after Bush Bush-whacked him. Maybe as Secretary of Defense or State or even VP. (Maybe two Black men are too much).

The military establishment has its own ideas about its own power and any administration without a respectable military person, preferably a general may face major problems - ask Hillary's husband - "gay's in service" "don't ask don't tell".

No, no, no

Why on earth, this of all years, does the Democratic nominee need a Republican on the ticket with him?

Just insane, no matter how happy it would make David Broder.

...talking about or excited about a Hagel VP spot is the media.

they're suckers for this kind of story.  I doubt anyone in the obama campaign is even considering it.

Obama would need the Powell endorsement more.  Hagel could be given the SecDef spot so he could put his money where his mouth is on Iraq.