Chuck Hagel's Non Announcement Announcement

I'm still trying to figure out why Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel made this big announcement to discuss his future and then tells the public he hasn't decided yet.

Such is the world of politics.

I'm my humble opinion, I really don't know what he is waiting for. As he said in his speech yesterday, the nation is looking for something new:

I believe the political currents in America are more unpredictable today than at any time in modern history. We are experiencing a political re-orientation, a redefining and moving toward a new political center of gravity. This movement is bigger than both parties. The need to solve problems and meet challenges is overtaking the ideological debates of the last three decades—as it should. America is demanding honest, competent and accountable governance.

The GOP is at a unique crossroads. Bush Republicanism is being discredited; having push the party from it's ideological moorings. No particular brand of conservatism is dominant; there is a vacumn waiting to be filled. I have no idea if Mr. Hagel is going to be the savior of the GOP, but nevertheless, he should at least throw his hat in the ring and give it a try. I know there are many who think his anti-war views will sink him among Republicans, but I don't think that is true. I think GOP voters are looking for someone who is willing to see the Iraq mess in a sober light.

The short of it is that Hagel should just get off the pot and run. If he believes the politcal ground is shifting, which it is, then he should be leading that change and helping people see a new kind of Republicanism that is suitable for the 21st century.