Chuck Hagel is a class act

Yesterday Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) gave his final speech on the floor of the Senate. He has served for twelve years, and decided not to run for reelection this year.

Senator Hagel's speech was both a response to the Senate's vote on the bailout package, and a farewell address. Hagel had the freedom to say anything he wanted; the Senate had already passed the bill, which he supported, and he is not running for reelection---he had the chance to say exactly what he thought, without concern for political backlash.

By the time Hagel spoke, the Chamber was nearly empty; the vote had concluded, and few Senators remained. It is a shame, because Hagel's speech was one of the eloquent and insightful I have heard by a politician in office.

Hagel said the bailout bill was an example of bipartisan partnership for the good of the American people. He said the future of the United States depends on the ability of both parties to work together: "Without that bipartisan consensus, we end up in the underbrush of political paralysis," said Hagel. "Much of what we've seen, unfortunately, has been about political paralysis. We all have to take some responsibility for that."

He went on to say [I am paraphrasing here; the full-text of the speech is not yet available online, but I will link to it as soon as it is] that the distrust of the first bailout bill by the American people was the result of years of governance without transparency; that the American people are suspicious of legislation rushed through Congress when their leadership has failed to explain their own positions, and that Congress has not done enough to exert it's Constitutionally ensured power.

"Article one of the Constitution is about Congress. We are a co-equal branch of government," said Hagel. "If anything I've learned in the 12 years I've been here it is the importance of sharing, participating in the governance of our country, being part of that governance, helping make decisions with the president and the executive."

Hagel has been vociferous in his criticism of the Bush administration. He has talked about the lack of transparency, and also the administration's disregard for the powers of the other two branches of government. He was an early critic of the administration's handling of the war in Iraq, and cosponsored a resolution in the Senate with Joe Biden in January 2007 opposing the increase of troop levels in Iraq: "This is a ping-pong game with American lives. These young men and women that we put in Anbar province, in Iraq, in Baghdad are not beans. They're real lives. And we better be damn sure we know what we're doing - all of us - before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder. We better be as sure as you can be.”

The resolution passed the Senate, but the Bush administration said it would disregard the non-binding resolution, and proceed with their plan to send more troops to Iraq. Hagel responded eloquently:




Chuck Hagel is a lifelong Republican; he was given two Purple Hearts for his service in the Vietnam War, and has served the people of Nebraska for twelve years. His final speech on the floor of the Senate was a dignified finale, to what was, all too uncommonly, dignified service. With it, came an important reminder to whomever heads the next administration; the Constitution calls for a balance of power---the checks and balances upon which the foundation of our democracy rests. In the wake of a turbulent week in Washington, we should all spend some time thinking about what it means for a presidential administration to "go rogue", and disregard even the voices of sanity within it's own party.

Senator Hagel decided not to run for reelection; this is a real loss to the Senate, but an even bigger loss to the Republican party, which has fractured and whose members are seemingly desperately trying to distance themselves from the Bush administration. One can only hope that Chuck Hagel will be present in the next administration, regardless of who is in charge.