Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel is definately not ready to discourage those fun rumors about running on Barack Obama’s ticket.

In a talk last night, according to The Huffington Post, not only did he dodge that question with a wink, but took a few jabs at his friend John McCain’s, well, let’s say intellectual voracity:

We know from past campaigns that presidential candidates will say many things,” Hagel said of some of McCain’s recent rhetoric, namely his policy on talking to Iran. “But once they have the responsibility to govern the country and lead the world, that difference between what they said and what responsibilities they have to fulfill are vastly different. I’m very upset with John with some of the things he’s been saying. And I can’t get into the psychoanalysis of it. But I believe that John is smarter than some of the things he is saying. He is, he understands it more. John is a man who reads a lot, he’s been around the world. I want him to get above that and maybe when he gets into the general election, and becomes the general election candidate he will have a higher-level discourse on these things.”

Hagel is no doubt unimpressed with McCain’s new friends on the Right, whose influence may have played a part in McCain’s recent tendency to sound like George W. Bush on the stump.

Here’s The Huffington Post, again, reporting Tuesday about a clumsy McCain exchange with Time reporter Joe Klein:

Later in the day, Klein confronted McCain with this question at a press conference. For a foreign policy “expert,” McCain clearly has a pattern of getting the basic facts wrong. McCain insisted that ultimate political authority in Iran rests with Ahmadinejad — even mocking Klein when he challenged him on it. In fact, according to the CIA’s World Factbook, ultimate political authority in Iran rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, not the president.

Here’s the exchange:

KLEIN: I’ve done some research, and um –

MCCAIN: I have too.

KLEIN: Also checked, also checked with the Obama campaign and he never, he’s never sai — mentioned Ahmadinejad directly by name. He did say he would negotiate with the leaders, but as you know – Ayatollah,

MCCAIN: (Laughing) Ahmadinejad is, was the leader.

KLEIN: But if –

MCCAIN: Maybe I’m mistaken.

KLEIN: Maybe you are, because –

MCCAIN: Maybe. I don’t think so though.

KLEIN: The Supreme, you know, according to most diplomatic experts, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the guy who’s in charge of Iranian foreign policy and also in charge of the nuclear program, but you never mention him. Do you, you know, um, why do you always keep talking about Ahmadinejad since he doesn’t have power in that, in that realm?

MCCAIN: Oh I thin-Again, I respectfully disagree. When he’s the person that comes to the United Nations and declares his country’s policy is the extermination of the state of Israel, quote, in his words, wipe them off of the map, then I know that he is speaking for the Iranian government and articulating their policy and he was elected and is running for reelection as the leader of that country. Yes sir, go ahead.

NEW REPORTER: One more quest-

MCCAIN: I mean, the fact is he’s the acknowledged leader of that country and you may disagree, but that’s a uh, that’s your right to do so, but I think if you asked any average American who the leader of Iran is, I think they’d know. Go ahead. Or anyone who’s well-versed in the issue.