Republicans have lost their way when it comes to many core GOP principles and may be in jeopardy heading into the fall elections, Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. says. Hagel, a possible presidential candidate in 2008, said Sunday that the GOP today is very different party from the one when he first voted Republican.If you thought that Chuck Hagel was giving the Democrats a little hope that there's disgruntlement in the ranks, don't be fooled. He's aiming for the swing voters who are pissed off at the president -- and that's a lot of people -- and staking out his ground as yet another party maverick who isn't afraid to talk tough to the powers that be. It's all with an eye to run for president he's planning in 2008.
"First time I voted was in 1968 on top of a tank in the Mekong Delta," said Hagel, a Vietnam veteran. "I voted a straight Republican ticket. The reason I did is because I believe in the Republican philosophy of governance. It's not what it used to be. I don't think it's the same today."
Hagel asked: "Where is the fiscal responsibility of the party I joined in '68? Where is the international engagement of the party I joined _ fair, free trade, individual responsibility, not building a bigger government, but building a smaller government?"
His frustration does not lead him to think Democrats offer a better alternative. But Hagel wants to see the GOP return to its basic beliefs.
The trouble is that if there's any Republican out there with a hope of running and winning in '08, he or she is going to have to distance themselves from the current administration and demonstrate that they really, really mean it when they say they're for smaller government and fiscal responsibility. ("No, we really mean it this time.") This was Hagel's shot. Next week it will be Rudy Giuliani, followed by Newt Gingrich, then Mitt Romney, and, for all we know, Teddy the Wonder Lizard.
John McCain, the original maverick from 2000 (and not to be confused with the cheap car from Ford in 1970), is already out there making all the noise like he's the one -- and rounding up all the old reliables from the current administration to run his campaign.
So maybe the comparison with the Ford is right after all. The 1970 Maverick was a flashy new body on a tired old frame and engine; a re-dressed Ford Falcon which was destined for the scrap heap.
Would you buy a used car from this party?
Ford Maverick
