Hagel as Obama Running Mate Concerns Partisans on Both Sides

OMAHA, Nebraska — Talk of Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel as a potential running mate for Democratic candidate Barack Obama tends to confound partisans in both parties. “His anti-war posture might be attractive to Obama, but he’s anathema to much of the progressive base of the Democratic Party,” said Toby Chaudhuri, communications director for the liberal Campaign for America’s Future. Republican lawmaker Adrian Smith calls the pairing “not a good fit” and says that on issues other than the Iraq war, Hagel and Obama are not compatible. The American Conservative Union, which examines voting records on everything from abortion to national security, pegs the Nebraska Republican as a conservative. When Hagel accompanied Obama on his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan last month, speculation swirled anew that he was a possible vice presidential pick. Plenty of people have suggested that Obama recruit Hagel, one of the Senate’s most outspoken opponents of the ... (link)