Hagel hints at who has his ’08 vote

Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said Thursday that people could interpret his remarks about Sarah Palin “any way they like,” one day after he excoriated his party’s vice presidential nominee and challenged her ability to lead the nation.

Hagel, the only senator who has not endorsed either of the presidential candidates, has puzzled his colleagues in the Senate all summer with actions that suggest he favors one candidate and it is not Republican John McCain.

{mosads}The latest example came Wednesday when Hagel questioned the selection of the Alaska governor as Sen. McCain’s (Ariz.) running mate during an interview with his hometown newspaper.

In the interview, Hagel strongly criticized Palin’s lack of foreign policy credentials and called her suggestion that the view of Russia from her home qualifies as international experience “insulting to the American people.”

His comments to the Omaha World-Herald follow a summer when Hagel skipped the Republican National Convention and took a very public tour of war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan with Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the Democratic presidential candidate. Hagel has also been a vocal critic of the Bush administration and an opponent of the war in Iraq.

On Thursday, Hagel acknowledged his comments about Palin, but denied speculation that he plans to endorse Obama.

“I’ve made all the comments I prefer to make right now on those issues,” Hagel said. “I don’t intend to get involved in the campaign on either side … People can interpret my comments any way they like.”

The prospect of Hagel endorsing Obama is a fascinating side-story in the Senate, where Democrats are already coping with Sen. Joe Lieberman’s (I-Conn.) support for McCain.

Hagel’s criticism of Palin intrigued Democratic leaders Thursday. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who co-chairs Obama’s campaign, noted that Hagel’s wife, Lilibet, has already donated to Obama’s campaign and that he may reach out to the Nebraskan.

“I haven’t yet, because I assumed he wouldn’t [endorse Obama],” Durbin said. “But it may be worth a conversation. I’ll be happy to reach out to him.”

Among several pointed criticisms of Palin in the interview, Hagel ridiculed the fact that the Alaska governor only received a passport last year and said “it was a stretch” to say she was qualified enough for the presidency.

“She doesn’t have any foreign policy credentials,” Hagel said. “You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don’t know what you can say. You can’t say anything … I think it’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States.”

The interview broke an oft-stated rule of Hagel’s that he would not get involved in the presidential race. As recently as Sept. 9, his office said Hagel “has no intention in getting involved in any of the campaigns.”

“Sen. Hagel is focused on his job serving the people of Nebraska as a United States senator,” his spokesman, Jordan Stark, said at the time.

Several Republicans said they were disappointed in Hagel’s comments, but shied away from criticizing him. Instead, they defended Palin.

Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) met Palin at a National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia and said she impressed him.

“It was a great choice and it’s energized our base,” Voinovich said of her selection as vice presidential nominee. “She’s an ordinary woman. Many people believe our party has the right ideas, but they won’t vote for us because they say only rich people are involved in our party. Now we could have someone who’s got the same problems [as ordinary Americans] in the White House.”

Democrats, however, praised Hagel.

“He’s a very outspoken, independent guy and people admire him for his outspokenness,” said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).