What's Bothering Chuck?

Let's start off by saying Senator Chuck Hagel is an American patriot. Let's get that out of the way pronto. Anybody with a pair of Purple Hearts is OK by me.

However.

There comes a time when the head scratching begins. Such is the case when I read his interview in the web-edition of Gentleman's Quarterly. (By the way, why is called quarterly when it's published monthly?)

Chuck (or Charles Timothy, take your pick) is a Republican from Nebraska. Among his senatorial duties are his seemingly weekly appearances on the Sundays talk shows. (Central casting bills him as the "moderate Republican.") That's all fine and good -- goes to show that Big Tent Republicanism is alive and well.

Yet, in the aforementioned interview, you'd think he was a San Francisco liberal in the way he bashes the Bush Administration for its conduct leading to and in the in execution of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, it's much worse -- the three words that came to mind when I read the article were weaselly, petulant and wrong. There's no point in rebutting some of his ill-considered remarks. (This isn't to suggest that his criticisms aren't valid -- it's just that it seems to be more of a venting that a deliberate review of what went wrong -- and to review how Senator Hagel was complicit in the manner. Alas -- to save you from reading it -- he allies himself with the "Bush lied" crowd. ) After reading the interview, you have to ask yourself -- why?

Is it because the President is low in the polls and the best time to kick a man is when he's down; even if he's from your own party? (Shades of Kennedy vs. Carter in '80?)
Is he angling for a draft bid to win the Republican nomination in 08? (Good luck standing out in that crowd -- you'd better off finding a seat on the New York City subway during rush hour than getting the GOP nod.)
Does he read the tea leaves that the Democrats will win in '08 and he's looking for the SECDEF gig -- just like Cohen for Clinton in '96? (And while on that topic, Cohen was no great shakes.)

Perhaps it's all of the above or none of the above.

Alas, my limited blogging skills preclude me from showing the picture that graces the cover of his biography -- it's taken as Senator Hagel is looking out into some unknown horizon and the photographer is looking up to Chuck. (It's creepily messianic in its overtones.) But it does come across as saying Chuck knows best -- even if you if you don't have a clue.

And I'm certainly clueless as to what is bothering Chuck.