Billionaire Mayor Bloomberg and Senator Hagel Break Bread



What an intriguing little scenario that Politico is painting with bold, broad brushstrokes (The Corsair uncorks a silky and sumptuous 1947 Cheval-Blanc). We know that the billionaire former media mogul, Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- or at least his most ambitious advisors -- is itching to throw his hat into the 2008 Presidential ring as an Independent candidate, if the conditions are just ... right. Could "just right" include Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel? Since McCain's late embrace of the Bush "surge," Hagel -- a war-hero who exudes Patriotic skepticism at the war's progress -- Hagel has inherited the mantle of "Senate Maverick." Now, from Politico:

"As the 10 GOP candidates gear up for their first debate tomorrow night here, two other Republicans with potential White House ambitions had dinner 2,300 miles away.

"In an eyebrow-raising move, Nebraksa Sen. Chuck Hagel and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- both independent-leaning Republicans -- supped together at the see-and-be-seen Palm Restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C, according to another diner.

"That the two would share a meal together would alone be noteworthy, but that it would come on the night before their party's first debate and at such a conspicuous venue is downright mischevious.

"Said our spy: 'Seems like the Independent ticket to me.'"

The timing is, of course, uncanny. This is a major Existential Crossroads in the political life of Senator Hagel, veteran, holder of the Purple Star. Says our favorite Dickensian villain, Robert Novak on Monday:

"Sen. Chuck Hagel returned from his fifth visit to Iraq to join Senate Democrats last Thursday as one of two Republicans voting to begin withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. It was not an easy vote for a conservative party regular and faithful supporter of President Bush's non-Iraq policies. A few days earlier, Hagel sat down with me to paint a bleak picture of the war and U.S. policy.

"Over a dozen years, I have had many such conversations with Hagel not for quotation. This time, I asked him to go on the record about his assessment of what the "surge" has accomplished. In language more blunt than his prepared speeches and articles, he described Iraq as 'coming undone,' with its regime 'weaker by the day.' He deplored the Bush administration's failure to craft a coherent Middle East policy, blaming the influence of Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams.

"Hagel faces a political paradox as he ponders a career decision -- to run for president, seek re-election next year or get out of elective politics. His harsh assessment resonates with many Republicans who believe Bush's war policy has led the party to disaster. Yet, this message faces rejection by GOP primary voters, and he is under attack from the right at home in Nebraska (with 38-year-old state Attorney General Jon Bruning threatening to run against him).

Because Bloomberg would be willing to self-fund a candidacy for the Oval office to the tune of half a billion dollars (without breaking a sweat), he has the luxury of waiting as long as he wants to enter the race. Hagel-Bloomberg -- '2008 -- anyone? Maybe not so far fetched.

(Politico)