Before delivering Sunday's Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science
at Iowa State University, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) said he wouldn't make
an announcement on whether he was running for President of the United
States.
Instead Hagel, who has been subject of speculation on his intentions
for higher office, said he would defer any announcement until after the
2006 elections.
While he's not running for president yet, Hagel's Manatt-Phelps Lecture
covered a number of national and international issues sure to be issues
in the next presidential campaign.
From the war in Iraq to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to energy
and security issues to immigration, Hagel spoke to the issues.
"In the challenging and dynamic environment ahead of us, Americans
will need to ask themselves some tough questions," he said.
Some of those questions Hagel said were what is the role of government,
how much government do Americans want and who much government are the
citizens willing to pay for?
A harsh critic of the Bush Administration on the war in Iraq, Hagel said
that America's decisions and actions in that conflict have isolated and
alienated the United States from much of the world. Hagel is encouraged
however by the recent vote on Iraq's constitutional amendment and the
upcoming parliamentary elections.
Hagel said that once an Iraqi elected government is in place, the United
States and its allies should propose a regional security conference on
Iraq with the endorsement of the United Nations
"The United States should take a secondary role, and allow Iraq
and its neighbors to lead this effort," he said. "Such a conference
would give us another opportunity to help rebuild an international consensus
on Iraq and address the regional complexities of the Middle East. More
missed opportunities on Iraq will be disastrous for the U.S., Iraq and
the region."
Hagel also criticized the growth the federal deficit in recent years
saying that sustained deficits, caused in part by the war on terror, will
have significant economic and national security implications for United
States' future.
"We cannot continue to run up the national debt and burden future
generations of Americans with huge government obligations that will impair
their ability to compete and prosper," he said.
Hagel also called for changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
saying leaders must have the courage to address issues in these entitlement
programs now.
This is the fourth annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science.
Previous speakers have included Sweden's Ambassador to the United States,
Mexico's foreign minister and Charles Manatt, former U.S. Ambassador to
the Dominican Republic and one of the founders of the lecture series.
Hagel is Nebraska's senior U.S. senator. The North Platte, Neb., native
was first elected to the Senate in 1996. He serves on the U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee and is chairperson of the Subcommittee on
International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion. He also serves
on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Select Committee on Intelligence,
and Rules and Administration committees.
Now living in Omaha, Hagel had no previous political experience before
running for the Senate. Prior to his election, he was the president of
an investment company. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University
of Nebraska, Omaha, in 1971.
Thomas and Elizabeth Phelps, and Charles and Kathleen Manatt, established
the annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science. The annual fall
lectures focus on significant developments in international political
economy during the previous year, and how the issues affect and are affected
by Iowa.
Sen. Chuck Hagel with Ambassador Charles Manatt
Sen. Chuck Hagel meets with students after lecture
Sen Chuck Hagel
|
