The Political Chase

Hagel Smacksdown Bush

In an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) gave a scathing, to put it mildly, commentary on George Bush and his administration.

This is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I’ve ever seen personally or ever read about.

…This administration in my opinion has been as unprepared as any administration I’m aware of, not only the ones that I have been somehow connected to and that’s been every administration — either I’ve been in Washington or worked within an administration or Congress or some way dealing with them since the first Nixon administration. I would rate this one the lowest in capacity, in capability, in policy, in consensus — almost every area, I would give it the lowest grade.

…And you know, I think of this administration, what they could have done after 9/11, what was within their grasp. Every poll in the world showed 90 percent of the world for us. Iran had some of the first spontaneous demonstrations on the streets of Tehran supporting America. They squandered a tremendous amount of opportunity.

Hagel has always been outspoken and very critical of the Bush administration since the Iraq war began; however his comments yesterday are by far the most severe I have heard him or any Republcan ever make about Bush.

The full speech can be read here.