Another media member summarized today's press conference by Hagel like this:
"My announcement today is to announce that I will not be making an announcement today. I will now take questions for 30 minutes."
The Leavenworth Street blog, which describes itself as "The Talk of Nebraska Politics," wrote: "Uh, what was the point?"Steve Clemons, publisher of the popular political blog, TheWashingtonNote.com, wrote: "Senator Chuck Hagel is at this moment launching a "non-campaign campaign."
Omaha Bureau Associated Press writer Margery Beck wrote, "In an odd twist, the Nebraska senator called a news conference to say he would decide about his political future later this year, saying a late entry into the 2008 race is still possible."
The Wall Street Journal's Jackie Calmes, in a story headlined "Hagel Says Never Mind," wrote that "the maverick Republican may get the prize for the best announcement tease in a 2008 cycle that’s already been full of them."
The National Journal Hotline brought up something many Nebraska media outlets have seemingly ignored: that during Hagel's 1996 Senate campaign he said, "I support term limits. However, I will not need term limits. Twelve years in Congress is enough for anyone."
For years, the Omaha World-Herald has taught its reporters to refer to "news conferences" as "press conferences." Now we know why.
14 comments:
I hope Hagel at least fed the press some good grub.
How did this story come to fruition? Was it framed/pitched to the media as an "official" announcement? If it was, then the media got played. Nothing like firing up the trucks, stringing out the cables, and throwing down the sticks for that type of an announcement.
Thanks, Chuck, for having the state come to a screeching halt so that you can give us a non-event. Hell, I'm surprised he even knew there WAS a UNO. Welcome back, Chuck! We missed you so!
Oh, merciful angels! This is just way too funny. All these local stations getting worked up into a lather to provide LIVE, STREAMING COVERAGE of this historic announcement. Not too mention all the prediction stories. (You were a little off, Lee Terry)
Then we had: "The statewide ripple effect!! What will happen if Omaha's mayor decides to seek Hagel's Senate seat?"
And all Hagel says is, "I'm not running for president...Yet".
(snorting with laughter) Point to you, Chuck. The local stations thought for sure they'd have three solid days worth of news stories from this. And now they're back to "Potholes in Omaha: We'll talk to one Heartland woman who's had enough!"
And then there's that dimwit Rachel Pierce this morning, "Senator Hagel may have tipped his hand..." (You know Chris Matthews is just terrified for his job with this politically savvy pundit out there)
Maybe over the weekend Chuck realized that he's not as popular as he thought. Maybe he didn't want to become the Vilsack (sp??) for President. Maybe he realized the rest of the country was asking, "Chuck, who??"
Heck, sometimes we even have to remind ourselves that he's from here. We see him on TV and notice below his name it says (R)-Nebraska. Oh, yeah - that's right he's OUR senator. hmm, yeah, lucky us. We all thought the District of Columbia was now able to have its own senator(s).
Chuck, do a favor - give us a heads up announcement maybe a month before you make the announcement when you're going to announce making the announcement... or, something to that effect.
Better yet, create a website with a countdown clock to the announcement of the announcement.
Oh, whatever! Just call a press conference to tell us what you're having for dinner tonight or what color socks you're going to wear tomorrow because we're all anxiously waiting by our TVs and radios.
Actually, it might be smarter for him to wait a few months to announce a bid for president. By then everybody will be sick of hearing about Obama, McCain, Hilary, Edwards, etc, and then maybe he'll be a new face to look at.
Though I can't forgive the stupidity of having this grand press conference to say, "Well I haven't decided yet". He could have done that with a simple press release. Now he's looking like the candidate who cried wolf.
What a bozo.
Speaking of "Bozos"....did anyone catch Pat Buchanan on "Tucker" this afternoon? He said it sure was a shame (refering to Hagel) that all those reporters bought airline tickets to Lincoln just to be disappointed. Grrrrr...
Thanks, Chuck.
As a fly-over state we already fight a stereotype perception of us every day.
Now, you've gone and made us really look like a bunch of hicks in the national media. I can only wait until Letterman and Leno get a hold of this one.
Nice.
By the way, what's up with the picture on the evening edition of the World-Herald?? What's up with hugging McCollister? Are you crying?!?! There's no crying in politics?!?!
You're probably crying because your stellar political career is fizzling out. Next year, your Democratic opponent will have a field day with the video from the day's events.
Don't worry about your political future and go sell us some more cell phones or whatever it is you did before.
Wait just a minute...Chuck Hagel is OUR senator??? I thought he was Iowa's...or South Dakota's...
Ironically one of the Jeopardy answers/questions today was "news conference." I got it wrong because I said "press conference." I think that Hagel's announcement definitely illustrated the difference between the two.
I just wish he would have waited to do this until April 1st. I'm sitting here laughing my @$$ off! This was the funniest thing I've ever seen! Nebraska got punk'd!
It was hilarious. The spoon-fed, wimpy media got duped!
The "boy" cried wolf and the media went running. Now that we know what this guy's about, lets all learn a lesson and ignore any future "announcements".
Chuck SUCKS.
People are sheep and Hagel is the shepherd.
And yet he has the most conservative voting record in the Senate.
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