Chuck Hagel is coming to Columbia! Here are two of his most frequently quoted statements to warm you up for his talk:

Chuck Hagel said in November 2005, "To question your government is not unpatriotic - to not question your government is unpatriotic." Criticizing how Congress went mum without a debate on the merits of the Iraq War, Hagel became one of the War's earliest critics. In July 2007, Hagel walked the walk and was one of three Republicans in senate to support a Democratic proposal to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days.

Hagel is also well-remembered for his statement, "I took an oath of office to the Constitution, I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president" in reference to the Bush administration, the Republican Party, and the PATRIOT Act. Notice that Hagel is a Republican senator representing Nebraska in the U.S. Senate. His Congressional voting record shows he voted 78.5% with the majority of his party. It just so happens that Hagel's all-time favorite pastime is bashing the Bush administration--so much so that he even wrote a book on how well the administration handled the war.

Chuck Hagel's other claims to fame include rumors that called Hagel a possible Obama pick for VP (Joe Biden beat him to it) and recent mentions as a potential United States Secretary of Defense candidate in Obama's Administration (which remains to see its fruition). Funny how quickly rumors come and go. Previously, Hagel was also rumored to be on Bush's list of potential running-mates for the 2000 Election.

A fun Chuck Hagel fact for the season: "Hagel has a tradition of wearing costumes to work on Halloween, usually masquerading as colleagues or other notable political figures. He has arrived at work dressed as Joe Biden, John McCain, Colin Powell, and Pat Roberts in past years." CubPub wonders, Who will Hagel be this Halloween?