Hagel Remains Undecided

Senator Chuck Hagel is still undecided on whether he wants to run for president in 2008. Hagel told The North Platte Telegraph that he will announce his decision about his political future in a couple of weeks.

“If I decide to be a candidate for president, I would do it on the basis of a strong belief that I could get the nomination and I could win,” Hagel said.

[. . .]

In the next presidential election, Hagel said he believes Americans will judge all of the candidates based on three factors: Integrity, competency and a willingness to address the challenges and problems of America instead of being captive to party interests.

The Concord Monitor reports that Hagel already laid groundwork for a presidential campaign, donating thousands of dollars to GOP candidates in New Hampshire:

Nationally, Hagel is a regular on political talk shows and has a book under way that will hit shelves in the thick of next winter's campaign. He's been featured recently in GQ, Newsweek and The New York Times Magazine, and one website operated by Hagel supporters got 15,000 hits in the days after Bush announced plans to send more troops to Iraq - a plan that Hagel adamantly opposes.

Before reading these articles I was convinced that Hagel would not seek the presidency. Now I'm not so sure.