Omaha – Sen. Chuck Hagel, one of the more forceful Republican voices in opposition to the Iraq war, on Monday put off a decision about a possible presidential bid, saying he wanted to focus on the conflict and other pressing national issues.
In an odd twist, the Nebraska senator called a news conference to say he would decide about his political future later this year, saying a late entry into the 2008 race is still possible.
The Republican presidential field is crowded with 10 candidates, a number that could grow as Newt Gingrich and Fred Thompson weigh possible bids. Hagel’s planned announcement touched off speculation that he would join the 2008 White House race or announce plans to seek re-election to a third Senate term.
Instead, he told reporters at a nationally televised news conference: “I am here today to announce that my family and I will make a decision on my political future later this year.”
Hagel, 60, is probably best known to voters as a high-profile critic of the Bush administration dating to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
That criticism evolved into heated discordance in January when the Nebraska Republican called President Bush’s plan to send an addition 21,500 U.S. troops to Iraq “the most dangerous foreign policy blunder carried out since Vietnam.”
