[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Nice sound bite, but it has nothing to do with Hagel. The last time he was re-elected (by 60 points), he had just voted for the war in Iraq.

Unless Nebraska is a microcosm of the entire country (I wish), your point is moot. Hagel will face a conservative constituency that is far more loyal to the President than the country at large.

[Redmen4ever]

You're right that Bush is more popular in Nebraska than in the country as a whole ... according to SurveyUSA, George W. Bush has a 52 percent job approval rating in Nebraska.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollTrack.aspx?g=5008e5be-069f-4250-ac20-3d7a7619d935

But ... Chuck Hagel has a 59 percent job approval rating.

http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollTrack.aspx?g=0c9c08bb-f403-486a-9a60-4dbef1189a04

Senator Hagel will probably survive 2008 if we're still in Iraq. But, I see a quite a few Republican Senators who look like they'll be vulnerable.

Why do I have to live under Democrats because the Iraqis cannot stand up and defend their country?