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Obama-Hagel '08?

James Forsyth

Tuesday, 1st April 2008

A key part of Barack Obama’s appeal is the idea that he can bring the country together, healing the partisan wounds of the past 14 years. Obama’s plan to do this is more stylistic than anything else; policy-wise he has never veered that far from liberal orthodoxy.

There would be no more dramatic way of showing voters that he is genuine about his desire to unite the country than picking a Republican as his VP. So, it is significant that this morning, Chuck Hagel, a Republican Senator from Nebraska who has been fiercely critical of the Bush administration’s foreign policy, hinted that he might endorse Obama. There is clearly mutual respect between the two men as Obama has said that he would think about appointing Hagel to his cabinet.

Having Hagel, a Vietnam vet and foreign policy expert, on the ticket would offer Obama cover on the patriotism front, the question of how liberal he is, the non-partisan National Journal recently ranked him as the most liberal member of the US Senate, and his lack of experience with national security issues—which will probably be the three main lines of attack on him this autumn. Further strengthening the case for Hagel is that he was a major backer of John McCain in 2000, his presence on the ticket would seem to prove the Democrats argument that the McCain of ’08 is very different from the McCain who independents fell in love with in 2000. On the other hand, women’s groups—already irritated by Obama for some of his supporters attacks on Hillary—would not take kindly to having an opponent of abortion on the ticket.

There is, though, a reason to take Hagel’s words with a pinch of salt. He is a man with a book to promote.

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David Lindsay

April 1st, 2008 5:10pm

Obama looks increasingly like the paleocons' first choice, followed by McCain, with no preference at all for Clinton.

And Catholics and other pro-lifers show increasing signs of finally realising that the Republican Party keeps itself in existence by promising to end abortion but never actually doing so. Yes, Iraq is a life issue, too.

If Obama has the sense to select a running mate like Jim Webb or Ben Nelson, and to put up Bob Casey to give his nominating address, then he's in.