Mission: Memorial Day - We're Almost There!

My apologies for the long gap in posts - I have been VERY busy with exams for school, but I am all done now, and graduate this upcoming Thursday.

Anyway, here's an e-mail from Jeremy:

Draft Hagel 08 Supporter:

"Mission: Memorial Day" is almost over! What have you been doing to try to sign up more people? Is there something that works better than something else? Let us know so that we can pass it along!

Also, there is a very simple way to double our numbers every week: sign up 1 person a week! Place a poster in a public place! We have received comments about the poster from people who have seen it and signed on after checking it out! If you are comfortable talking to people, sign them up on the spot!

There will be people who tell you it is too early to think about these things, but do not let that stop you from trying! Much sooner than later, things will be in full swing, and the larger number of supporters we have to push for a Hagel 08 Presidential campaign, the better!

Thank you for your support, and have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

The Draft Hagel 08 Team
www.drafthagel08.com

Hagel on Iraq - another supporter's input

Here's a post from the U.S. Election Atlas forum that I post on (Inks.LWC):

Quote
from: Lt. Governor Inks.LWC on May 08, 2007, 08:32:20 pm
This is not my GO HAGEL rant - but his idea seems smart to me:
1) Send our troops to the Iraqi border to keep terrorists from leaving/coming in.
2) Let the Iraqis settle their civil war - why will the warring factions listen to a 3rd party who doesn't understand their war? The Iraqis understand each other better than we do - let their people help themselves!

I've always respected Chuck Hagel - and I don't understand why he can not seem to get much support from the GOP base. The fact that he is willing to think outside the
box on Iraq should make him a much more appealing candidate than he is polling
at right now. His Iraq plan actually reminds me of a few of the major Democrats
that don't want to "cut and run" but also don't want to "stay the course"- but
he's also a very conservative Senator, unlike the major Democrats. I can not say
I have loved anybodies plan on Iraq (either Dem or GOP) to this point, but the
ones that are thinking outside the confines of "cut and run" and "stay the
course" are certainly much more attracitve than what we have going on right now.

Mission: Memorial Day update

Here's an e-mail from Jeremy:

Now that "Mission: Memorial Day" is under way, think of it like this:sign-up 1 person a day, or possibly spend a few hrs over a weekend at a large public space, and we will meet our goal of every supportersigning up 25 new individuals who would like to see Chuck Hagel in the2008 Presidential race by May 28th!

How would you do this?
Like this...."Would you like to see Chuck Hagel run for President? Let him know!" "Well, I don't really know who he is." "Here you go, take a look!"Then hand out a flier. It's that simple! Aim to hand out 50-100 fliers a week.Black and white instead of color? Don't worry about it!

Now, I know that some are saying, "That sounds like a great idea! I'msure others will do it, so I won't have to try and get 25.". If you're happy with the way things are now, then that's fine. If you would like to right the direction America is headed and restore its greatness, then let's go!Running for President is a momentous decision, and we want to show Senator Hagelhow many people out there believe that he should!

Thanks, and let's get moving!
The Draft Hagel 08 Team
www.drafthagel08.com
info@drafthagel08.com

Memorial Day Mission

Here's an e-mail from Jeremy:

We have a mission to accomplish by Memorial Day if we want to see Chuck Hagel's views presented to the American people in the 2008 Presidential election!

We are asking that, by May 28, you try and find 25 new supporters to sign the online petition! How? Talk to people you know, talk to people they know, let them know that we need their help in making sure that America does not have to suffer through the 2008 election, that signing the online petition shows Senator Hagel that we need his views expressed through the Presidential election! If you and a friend were to stand on a busy corner over a weekend, that's all it would take to accomplish the 25!

If you hear someone say, "It's too early to make that decision," tell them you're not asking them who they will support in 2008, but rather that you would like their help in making sure a true American is one of their choices!

Are you a doctor, nurse, teacher, lawyer, scientist, housewife, househusband,etc? Start a local coalition of like individuals in your area!

Wondering how to go about any of this? Don't be afraid to ask us for help - info@drafthagel08.com !

Let's get to work! We've got a mission to right the direction of our country!

Thanks!

Jeremy Mullen
www.drafthagel08.com
info@drafthagel08.com

Too Early?

Some people know that debates are about to start, and that the candidates will most likely be chosen by Feb 5, 2008. Most people, however, just know that we're coming into April 2007, and think that anything Presidential doesn't happen until the middle of January 2008. Well, by January 2008, the landscape won't look the same.

This may be the most important Presidential election in American history. It can be argued that there has never been so much at stake for future generations of Americans as there will be in this election. If anything, voters will be presented with more choices than they have ever been before. For this reason, it is important to support the candidate you want to run so that he/she knows that the support is there to make it to January 2008, and past Feb 5. Please, show Senator Hagel that you support the idea of a Hagel 2008 Presidential run. Visit Draft Hagel 08 to see what it's all about, if you haven't already. If you have, urge people you know to do the same. It is far from too early to do so.

Grassroots Groups

If there is a grassroots professional group (lawyers, nurses, doctors, etc) that you would like to start or be a part of, just let the folks over at DraftHagel08.com know!

Run Chuck, Run

The following is an article from OpEdNews.com published on February 10th.

Run Chuck, Run
by Jon Harrison

As we go from bad to worse in the Middle East, one senator stands out as an alternative to the Bush administration and its policy of escalating violence and death. That senator is Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska).

Hagel served in combat during the Vietnam War. He knows very well the cost -- in blood, fear, and anguish -- that war imposes on our soldiers. As a presidential hopeful he would be the candidate not just of the peace party, but of his fellow grunts as well.

Despite misgivings, Hagel voted for the Iraq war resolution in 2002. Like many others in Congress, he has come to oppose the war. Unlike many of his fellow legislators, however, Hagel went into opposition well before the war became unpopular with the country at large.

His principled stand on this and other issues has left him with few friends among the conservative base of the Republican Party. The race for the Republican nomination for president would, clearly, be an uphill one for Hagel. But the dynamic may be changing. Peggy Noonan recently came out in praise of Hagel on the pages of the Wall Street Journal. Unquestionably, there is a growing hunger in the country for truth-telling about Iraq. No Republican has been speaking the truth about Iraq longer than Chuck Hagel has.

Does history repeat itself? Well, the election of 2000 sure looked a lot like that of 1876, did it not? Today, Iraq looks more and more like Vietnam. If President Bush's "surge" in Iraq goes sour, and we find ourselves spiraling into disaster in the Middle East, 2008 may look a lot like 1968 -- the country in chaos as a result of an unpopular and unwinnable war. The prospects for an anti-war Republican with Hagel's credentials might then be very different.

I mentioned a changing dynamic. I haven't voted in a presidential election in twenty years, but I've already sent in my name as a volunteer for the Hagel campaign, should the Senator decide to run. It takes an awful lot to make a cynic like me get up and volunteer for anything.

We're fed up with this war, and with Bush. Run Chuck, run.

Jon Harrison is a freelance writer living in Vermont.

Draft Hagel 08

Draft Hagel 08 is the latest site that has gone up supporting Sentor Hagel and his 2008 Presidential run. Check it out and show your support. Eventually we hope to have this site as our hub of the grassroots campaign.

Hagel Documentary: "Echos of War"

I received the following e-mail from a fellow Hagel supporter:

Hey Nathan....

Great blog on Hagel! I haven't seen on any of the "draft" blogs a reference to a really great documentary about Hagel that gives some really interesting insights into his anti-war sentiments. It was put out by Nebraska Public Television... pre Iraq. A crew was with him and his brother when they returned to Vietnam for the first time. It's really cheap... like $10 ... and is a great discussion starter about the guy. Thought you might like to check it out. I found it on the Nebraska public TV web site. It's called "Echos of War."

http://secure.netnebraskastore.org/ProductView.aspx?pid=6e98d0e7-5545-4fbe-87c8-ec04a941df5d

Good luck with the quest!

bk

Support for Hagel Is on the Rise

The following is a blogger supporting Hagel: Chuck Hagel

I saw this
piece about Chuck Hagel in the Washington Post.

I sure hope the good Senator will
consider a run for the White House.

He is just about the only person who could convince me to
reconsider the GOP and come back.

I left the Republican Party last year
after 34 years because I don't recognize the party any longer and it is no
longer "conservative".

If Chuck Hagel runs for President I'm going to get
a TV that gets a signal and watch the evening news.......I'm not kidding.
You'll see.

Washington Post Discusses Hagel's Criticsm of the War and His Possible Run for President

Check out this article by the Washington Post: Hagel Ponders White House Run As War Criticism Raises His Profile

Why I support Senator Hagel

At a time when Republicans have lost the Senate and the House, many see our chances of retaining the Presidency in 2008 as slim to none. I, however, remain confident, due to one man: Senator Chuck Hagel. When I say the name, "Senator Chuck Hagel," many people respond, "who?" And that is the biggest problem that we face. As of now, the front Republican runner is considered to be Senator McCain (AZ); however, I remain confident. Senator McCain lacks the support of a major portion of the Republican Party, the hard core social conservatives. With a mediocre (at best) conservative stance on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, Senator McCain will have a hard time winning the nomination from these voters. Senator Hagel, however, can get the support of the social conservatives, while still being supported by the centrist voters. Senator Hagel is a perfect mix: he is able to get religious and centrist Republicans, something Senator McCain will wish he would have been able to do. The only thing left to do is to spread the word about Senator Hagel. His problem as of now is recognition, as I indicated in my example. At a time when it is looking grim for Republicans, we cannot fail to do all that we can to get Senator Hagel the nomination, so that we can retain the Presidency to keep America a great country.

I will try to post some Michigan specific reasons to support Senator Hagel in the next few days.