Brownwood Republican vs Any Republican North of the Red River !

Senator Hagel is the type of Republican that is contiounsly attacked on the airwaves of KXYL (Brownwood Talk Radio). " Weak Willed Weeinie Republicans " is the term that Former Brown County Republican Talking Head, James Williamson, applied to any Republican who did not fall into James', and the majority of Brown County Republican voters, hard right positions ! The mantra was/is: Southern Republicans Good -Northern Republicans Bad. I agree with Senator Hagel's assesment below from the CSM as it relates to the Republican Bush Administration.
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Sen. Chuck Hagel (R) of Nebraska, a member of the US Senate's
Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees, was the guest at
Friday's Monitor Breakfast.

He is on the long list of possible Republican presidential candidates
in 2008. A decorated Vietnam War veteran and a close friend of Sen.
John McCain (R) of Arizona, Sen. Hagel has been critical of US policy
in Iraq and one of a handful of Republican senators who voted against
reauthorization of the Patriot Act unless changes are made to better
protect civil liberties.
Here are excepts from his remarks:
On a New York Times report that President Bush, to fight terrorism,
secretly authorized the National Security Agency to spy on Americans
inside the US without a court warrant:
"Confidence and trust in one's government is the only currency there is
in life in a democracy. If citizens do not have confidence and trust in
their government, that their government is protecting their rights, and
those that they send to represent them in Washington are protecting
their rights, then there will be a very severe breakdown in
society....This is in my opinion a very serious issue, a very serious
story. If in fact this is true, then it needs to stop."
On progress in Iraq based on his visits there:
"I found it interesting every time I am back, there is more security,
more concrete, more sandbags and you can go into [fewer] places."
On the Bush administration's explanation of the rationale for war in
Iraq:
"The last two weeks, I think this administration has been more honest
than I have heard it in three years about Iraq. The president has
actually given speeches saying we had bad intelligence and we made
mistakes and we made big mistakes. [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld
is talking about it. They all are talking about it."
The role of the press:
"A free press is the only real guarantee [of] freedom in this society
because power does corrupt and big government corrupts. Big government
is an institution that has no conscience, it has no feelings, it has no
brains. And it doesn't read constitutions and it doesn't understand
liberties.... A free press is the only thing that keeps us free."
On the ethics issues facing the Republican party:
"There are very large dark clouds hanging over the party in the area of
being captives to big business and corruption."
On running for president:
"I will make a political decision on my future after the election next
year."

source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1219/p25s01-usmb.html
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Hagel unloads on Cheney and Bush
by kos
Thu Dec 22, 2005 at 11:31:18 AM PDT

It's a thing of beauty:
"Every president, that we know of, has complied with the law (FISA)," Hagel said. "No president is above the law. We are a nation of laws and no president, majority leader, or chief justice of the Supreme Court can unilaterally or arbitrarily avoid a law or dismiss a law. If the vice president holds a different point of view, then he holds a different point of view."
Based on the facts that are out there concerning whether domestic spying abuses were taking place, Hagel said, there was a "breakdown."
"I take an oath of office to the Constitution," he said. "I don't take an oath of office to the vice president, a president or a political party. My obligation and responsibility are to the people I represent and the country I serve. I do what I think is right for the people I represent and the country I serve." [...]
Hagel, referring to President Ronald Reagan, said people trusted him because he was not a "vitriolic person or one to impugn the motives of people who disagreed with him."
"Never did he do that," Hagel said. "There is no place for that in politics because it debases our system and our process. You can agree or disagree with your leaders and say whatever you like about your elected leaders and throw them out, but I do draw the line on the vilification and impugning of motives because someone disagrees with you."
He said the American people are "sick and fed up" with that type of politics.
"Cheney's poll numbers are very, very low," Hagel said. "This should be about elevating the debate and enhancing America and finding the solutions that we need to move forward. It doesn't help when you characterize people who disagree with you or threaten them or characterize them as unpatriotic or not caring about our people or our security. The American people see through that and it is beneath the dignity of this country."
The administration and its sycophants have placed their party above the Stars and Stripes the entire five years they've held power. What's shocking is how few Republicans like Hagel have spoken out about it.

source: http://www.dailykos.com/