Good Riddance, Hagel

A week ago, John Warner announced that he would be retiring from the Senate at the end of his fifth term.

More good news!

Chuck Hagel is following suit.

WASHINGTON -- Chuck Hagel will announce Monday that he is retiring from the U.S. Senate and will not run for president next year, people close to the Nebraska Republican said Friday.

...Hagel plans to announce that "he will not run for re-election and that he does not intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008," said one person, who asked not to be named.

Hagel has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday at the Omaha Press Club.

According to one person interviewed, Hagel told Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Friday morning that he had decided to retire. Hagel's staff learned of his decision that afternoon.

I suppose after the fiasco in March when Hagel royally ticked off the press by teasing them and dragging them out to Omaha, he made no attempt to keep the content of his announcement a secret this time.

There will be no suspense on Monday. In fact, since we already know his intentions to retire and not seek the presidency, I see no point in holding a press conference to put out that message.

There won't be any news, unless he endorses someone like Dennis Kucinich or Ron Paul for president during his retirement statement.

The North Platte native earned national recognition as perhaps the most vocal, at times angry, GOP critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policies.

His outspokenness on Iraq and other key issues, including Social Security and foreign policy, fueled national interest in Hagel as he flirted with a possible presidential bid.

As Hagel received more national recognition from the lib media, he became even angrier as well as goofier.

His threats of supporting the impeachment of President Bush were really over the top.

For instance, from ABC's This Week:

"Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed — if a president really believes that, then there are — what I was pointing out, there are ways (impeachment) to deal with that."

It was clear then that Hagel was self-destructing.

His national profile reached its zenith in March, when he headed to Omaha to hold a press conference on his political future.

But amid wide speculation that he was leaning toward a White House run, Hagel announced that he would disclose his plans later in the year.

Yes, that's when Hagel officially jumped the shark. He lost credibility. He fell out of favor with the lib media.

Even his Bush-bashing ally Tim Russert seemed to turn on him after that stunt.

His pending retirement leaves another GOP Senate seat without an incumbent at a time when the Republican Party is struggling to stem potential losses and must defend more seats than Democrats.

True, Hagel leaves another Republican seat open without an incumbent.

But in the long run, I think that's better than having Hagel in the Senate for another term.

Hagel won't be missed.