Who Is He?: Chuck Hagel was born October 4, 1946 in North Platte, Nebraska. He is a graduate of the Brown Institute for Radio and Television in Minnesota and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He worked in government as a Congressional staff person and as a deputy administrator of the Veteran's Administration before beginning a career in business. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and again in 2002.
International Experience: Senator Hagel is the second-highest ranking Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is considered one of the Republican Party's leading voices on foreign policy. And his assignment on the Senate Intelligence Committee has given him experience on national security and others issues related to U.S. foreign affairs. Hagel served as an infantryman during the Vietnam War and won two purple hearts.
Foreign Policy Positions: Hagel voted in favor of the Iraq War resolution but has since become one of the most outspoken Republican critics of the war. He said the decision to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq "...represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam." Hagel advocates talks with Iran and has been a leader on immigration reform. He has been an advocate for international human rights and for greater funding of the U.S. international affairs budget.
Chuck Hagel's Foreign Policy Statements:
Hagel Update: On September 10, 2007, Senator Hagel announced he will retire from the Senate at the end of his current term and will not run for president.
