The Washington Note is where I often go for the latest on Chuck Hagel. In the past few days, Hagel has stirred a lot of talk with his comments about "arrogance" and "incompetence" of the Bush Administration--and strong hints that he would accept a vice presidential spot if either Barak Obama or John Edwards offered it. What does The Note have to say about any of this?

BTW, I look forward to the day we are putting the faces of the Washington elite on mug shots instead of postage stamps.

Oh, I forgot, there is no rule of law that they have to abide by. Silly me.

Hey Steve, how'd this one escape your radar?

A shame Hagel didn't discover his balls before this country was in such a fix. Its not like the incompetence and criminality of this Administration has been a mystery these last seven years.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2007/11/hagel-bush-admi.html

Hagel: Bush administration is 'incompetent' and he would consider joining a Dem ticket
"This is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I've ever seen personally or ever read about," the always blunt and frequently quotable Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said yesterday during an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

"This administration in my opinion has been as unprepared as any administration I'm aware of," Hagel added, "not only the ones that I have been somehow connected to and that's been every administration -- either I've been in Washington or worked within an administration or Congress or some way dealing with them since the first Nixon administration. I would rate this one the lowest in capacity, in capability, in policy, in consensus -- almost every area, I would give it the lowest grade. ...

"And you know, I think of this administration, what they could have done after 9/11, what was within their grasp. Every poll in the world showed 90% of the world for us. Iran had some of the first spontaneous demonstrations on the streets of Tehran supporting America. They squandered a tremendous amount of opportunity."

Hagel, who toyed with the idea of running for president himself, also said:

He would be open to the idea of either working in a Democratic administration or even running as the vice presidential nominee on a Democratic ticket -- though, he conceded, "I probably won't have to worry about it" because he's unlikely to be asked.

"If there was an area that I thought I could make a difference and influence policy, leadership, outcome ... then I would entertain" those possibilities, Hagel said.

He called Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "capable." As for the speculation that he and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg might form an independent ticket, Hagel joked that "Bloomberg's got the money. I think it'd be Bloomberg-Hagel" ticket.

The council has posted a transcript of Hagel's remarks here.

http://tinyurl.com/2s4faq

Hagel has already announced he won't seek re-election to his Senate seat next year.

Wouldn't it be fair to assert that the American economy is in comprehensive collapse? The national debt is astronomical and how will our children and grandchildren feed that monster to keep it at bay? The legacy of the Bush administration and our worthless Congress, will be only that. Well, and then there is ALL those precious lives wasted in service to insanity. Insanity and lies! Yes, the American economy is in collapse as is our once proud democracy. Maybe Hillary could fix it. Or maybe Mayor Bloomberg. However given that Congress holds the purse strings, 'we the people' are now "officially" bankrupt.