I saw Senator Chuck Hagel address a small Washington gathering yesterday evening. He’s very smart, good-looking, wise. Self-deprecating about the Senate. Very conscious of the huge disconnect between what the powerful inside the  Beltway think about and the concerns of middle America. Hagel is not particularly charismatic. Rather the overall impression is solid, CEO like. I had hoped he would run for president and was disappointed. He remains friends with John McCain, a fellow Vietnam war vet, and made passing reference to some particularly “candid” conversations the two had recently. Hagel of course has turned against the Iraq war, while McCain embraces it and probably wants to expand it.

Inevitably, Hagel was asked about the vice-presidency, would he consider if asked. I liked his jokey reply: who would be doing the asking, Barr or Nader?