Editorial

How long can Hagel hold out?

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

After days of build up and speculation, Sen. Chuck Hagel announced Monday ... that he'll announce his intentions later this year.

We'll stand by our contention that he has something beyond a return to the Senate up his sleeve -- hours of screen time as a prominent Republican opponent of the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq, the presidential exploratory committee, that book deal.

Financially, he's probably wise to keep the uncertainty going as long as possible -- the publicity he got from Monday's faux announcement would have cost a declared candidate millions of dollars.

Or perhaps he's not sure how his opposition to President Bush is going to play in Peoria, let alone the rest of the GOP's traditional red state voting base.

Could his goal actually be a vice presidential slot?

Monday's "future plans" stunt is a one-time maneuver that raises the question:

The next time Chuck Hagel calls a press conference, will anyone show up?

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