Who's Hagel voting for? He's not saying

[struggle4progress]

BY MAGGIE O'BRIEN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Smiling widely, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel said he supports his wife's endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama in the Nov. 4 presidential race. But Hagel, the retiring Republican senator from Nebraska, was cagey about his candidate of choice.

In an interview following his lecture at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Tuesday evening, Hagel wouldn't say whether he supports Obama or longtime friend and fellow Republican John McCain.

His wife, Lilibet Hagel, has publicly endorsed Obama. She sat with Michelle Obama during the final presidential debate last week at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Hagel, though, has been careful not to endorse, said Mike Buttry, the senator's chief of staff. He is not expected to publicly discuss his choice prior to the presidential election ...

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10465876

[orleans]

1. well, if he can't/won't

"publicly discuss his choice prior to the presidential election" then he might as well NEVER discuss it, never bring it up. after the election his opinion won't mean jack shit one way or the other. ('well, i wanted obama to win'--yeah, well why the hell didn't you say so earlier?)

[struggle4progress]

2. I agree. But what interests me is that a reasonably high profile R-senator

fails to endorse in public his own party's nominee and makes a point of complimenting his wife's endorsement of Obama. This fact is subject to multiple interpretations: (1) even the Rs agree McCain would not be the better president, or (2) the McCain campaign is expected to go down in flames, so Rs are distancing themselves, or (3) the Rs want Ds over-confident, or &c&c ...

[EFerrari]

3. When Hagel goes to his reward, they're going to have to bury that fence with him.