Just in case you're thinking you might vote for Chuck Hagel over, say, Hillary Clinton

Because I've been thinking I might quite possibly do that.

But here are some things you need to know about Chuck Hagel's record before deciding:

Chuck Hagel on Abortion

• Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
  
• Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
  
• Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
  
• Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
  
• Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)
  
• Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
  

I don't have a problem with banning human cloning, but the rest of it is troublesome.

Chuck Hagel on Civil Rights

• Voted YES on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration. (Jun 2006)
  
• Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
  
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
  
• Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation. (Jun 2000)
  
• Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women. (Mar 1998)
  
• Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business. (Oct 1997)
  
• Supports anti-flag desecration amendment. (Mar 2001)
  
• Rated 60% by the ACLU, indicating a mixed civil rights voting record. (Dec 2002)
  

This is not a great record.

Chuck Hagel on Corporations

• Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted YES on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted YES on restricting rules on personal bankruptcy. (Jul 2001)
  
• Rated 87% by the US COC, indicating a pro-business voting record. (Dec 2003)
  

It isn't just pro-business, it's anti-worker and anti-consumer. Hagel is clearly in the pocket of the corporations.

Chuck Hagel on Education

• Voted NO on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
  
• Voted NO on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
  
• Voted NO on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted NO on funding smaller classes instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
  
• Voted NO on funding student testing instead of private tutors. (May 2001)
  
• Voted NO on spending $448B of tax cut on education & debt reduction. (Apr 2001)
  
• Voted YES on Educational Savings Accounts. (Mar 2000)
  
• Voted YES on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules. (Mar 1999)
  
• Voted YES on education savings accounts. (Jun 1998)
  
• Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
  
• Rated 36% by the NEA, indicating a mixed record on public education. (Dec 2003)
  

Again -- not great. It sounds like he's not interested in funding public education at the federal level.

Chuck Hagel on Energy & Oil/Environment

• Voted NO on disallowing an oil leasing program in Alaska's AMWR. (Nov 2005)
  
• Voted NO on $3.1B for emergency oil assistance for hurricane-hit areas. (Oct 2005)
  
• Voted NO on reducing oil usage by 40% by 2025 (instead of 5%). (Jun 2005)
  
• Voted NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted YES on Bush Administration Energy Policy. (Jul 2003)
  
• Voted NO on targeting 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010. (Jun 2003)
  
• Voted NO on removing consideration of drilling ANWR from budget bill. (Mar 2003)
  
• Voted YES on drilling ANWR on national security grounds. (Apr 2002)
  
• Voted YES on terminating CAFE standards within 15 months. (Mar 2002)
  
• Voted YES on preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling. (Apr 2000)
  
• Voted NO on ending discussion of CAFE fuel efficiency standards. (Sep 1999)
  
• Voted NO on defunding renewable and solar energy. (Jun 1999)
  
• Voted YES on approving a nuclear waste repository. (Apr 1997)
  
• Voted NO on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations. (Sep 2005)
  
• Voted YES on confirming Gale Norton as Secretary of Interior. (Jan 2001)
  
• Voted YES on more funding for forest roads and fish habitat. (Sep 1999)
  
• Voted YES on transportation demo projects. (Mar 1998)
  
• Voted NO on reducing funds for road-building in National Forests. (Sep 1997)
  
• Rated 0% by the LCV, indicating anti-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
  

This is a TERRIBLE record on issues related to global warming and the environment, as well as indicating a very friendly-to-the-energy-industry pattern -- something that we don't know if it has changed as a result of his growing opposition to the Iraq war.

Chuck Hagel on Government Reform

• Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress. (Mar 2006)
  
• Voted NO on establishing the Senate Office of Public Integrity. (Mar 2006)
  
• Voted NO on banning "soft money" contributions and restricting issue ads. (Mar 2002)
  
• Voted YES on require photo ID (not just signature) for voter registration. (Feb 2002)
  
• Voted NO on banning campaign donations from unions & corporations. (Apr 2001)
  
• Voted NO on funding for National Endowment for the Arts. (Aug 1999)
  
• Voted NO on favoring 1997 McCain-Feingold overhaul of campaign finance. (Oct 1997)
  

Again -- awful on government-for-sale and government corruption issues. Let us also not forget Hagel's connection to ES&S -- the manufacturer of the voting machines used in Nebraska in both elections he won:

Chuck Hagel first ran for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska in 1996. Electronic voting machines owned by Election Systems & Software (ES&S) reported that he had won both the primaries and the general election in unprecedented victories. His 1996 victory was considered one of the biggest upsets of that election. He was the first Republican to win a Nebraska senatorial campaign in 24 years and won virtually every demographic group, including many largely black communities that had never before voted Republican.

Six years later Hagel ran again against Democrat Charlie Matulka in 2002, and won in a landslide. He was re-elected to his second term with 83% of the vote: the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska. Again, the votes were counted by ES&S, now the largest voting machine company in America.

While these victories could be dismissed simply as a Republican upset, a January 2003 article in the independent Washington paper The Hill revealed interesting details about Hagel's business investments and casts a different light on his election successes. Chuck Hagel was CEO of ES&S (then AIS) until 1995 and he is still a major stockholder of the parent company of ES&S, McCarthy & Company. Hagel resigned as CEO of ES&S to run for the Senate and resigned as president of the parent company McCarthy & Company following his election (where he remains a major investor).

Today, the McCarthy Group is run by Michael McCarthy, who happens to be Chuck Hagel's treasurer. Hagel's financials still list the McCarthy Group as an asset, with his investment valued at $1-$5 million. Campaign finance reports show that Michael McCarthy also served as treasurer for Hagel until December of 2002.

But there's more:

Chuck Hagel on Health Care

• Voted YES on limiting medical liability lawsuits to $250,000. (May 2006)
  
• Voted NO on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
  
• Voted NO on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
  
• Voted NO on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
  
• Voted YES on $40 billion per year for limited Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Jun 2003)
  
• Voted NO on allowing reimportation of Rx drugs from Canada. (Jul 2002)
  
• Voted NO on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages. (Jun 2001)
  
• Voted YES on funding GOP version of Medicare prescription drug benefit. (Apr 2001)
  
• Voted NO on including prescription drugs under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
  
• Voted YES on limiting self-employment health deduction. (Jul 1999)
  
• Voted NO on increasing tobacco restrictions. (Jun 1998)
  
• Voted YES on Medicare means-testing. (Jun 1997)
  
• Invest funds to alleviate the nursing shortage. (Apr 2001)
  
• Rated 12% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record. (Dec 2003)
  

More here.

As appealing as Chuck Hagel is looking right now because of his principled stand against escalating the Iraq war, let's not forget, before we fall in love, that this is a very right-wing guy on everything else. I'm not saying don't consider voting for him, just know what you're getting when you do.