This week Senator Hagel spoke before 300 people at a "Town Hall Meeting" at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Hagel said he thought the Iraq war would prove to be the greatest foreign-policy mistake in U.S. history."We're in a mess, we're in a huge mess," Hagel said. "We've got to get out of the mess, but we've got to do it the right way."Jon Bruning reacted to Chuck Hagel's comments:ON IRAQ:Actions speak louder than words. Regardless of what Sen. Hagel says, conservative Nebraskans are frustrated that he has repeatedly voted with Harry Reid and the Democrats in favor of strict timetables for early surrender. They’re also frustrated with his comments that this country is engaged in an all-time “foreign policy blunder” and that the administration is “playing ping-pong with American lives.”
While I agree that diplomacy and international mediation are needed to help ease the burden on our troops, Senator Hagel’s plan does nothing to defeat the terrorists in Iraq or stop the sectarian violence that has slowed our progress. Security must be established before diplomacy can succeed. We must give General Petraeus a fighting chance to complete his mission before we talk about redeployment from Iraq.
ON IMPEACHMENT:Conservative Nebraskans were outraged with Senator’s Hagel’s suggestion that impeachment was a viable option for President Bush. When asked today how he would hold the administration accountable, Senator Hagel changed his tune and said that wasn’t his job. The voters won’t forget his careless remarks and will hold Senator Hagel accountable.
ON IMMIGRATION:I was surprised to hear Senator Hagel suggest today that border security has nothing to do with immigration reform. Illegal immigration costs taxpayers billions of dollars every year, and many continue to break our laws by flooding over our southern border. Border security is an urgent priority and must be a part of comprehensive immigration reform.
