Hagel & Bloomberg, sittin' in a (Palm) tree...

As the spring political winds continue to swirl in the Nebraska U.S. Senate race, a few strange items to note:

First is the OWH’s report about Tony Raimondo considering a run for Hagel’s seat (Raimondo testing waters for Senate – OWH – 5/3/07). Now word has it that Raimondo buddy Sen. Ben Nelson is the one trying to get Raimondo to throw his lid into the ring. And if you read the OWH article carefully, you’ll note that it says that Raimondo is a Republican. It goes on to note the other GOPers and Dems who might run. But it never specifically says that Raimondo would run as a Republican. And you’d have to think it would be much easier for him to get the Dem nomination than it would on the other side.

But the other strange item is that Raimondo says that he would “probably not” run if Hagel stays in. Well, right now Hagel is raising money and bringing Senators in for fund raisers. He sure seems like he’s planning to run. If so, why would Raimondo even bother?

Well here’s another odd note, courtesy of the Washington Post today. At the very bottom of the Reliable Source column, you see the following:

HEY, ISN'T THAT . . . ?
Mike Bloomberg and Chuck Hagel dining together last night at the Palm. The New York mayor had a New York strip steak, the Nebraska senator had wild halibut, and each polished off a glass of merlot and mixed berries for dessert. They were deep in conversation for two hours; since both are mulling presidential bids, who was courting whom?

Now for those of you who aren’t aware, Bloomberg and Hagel are the top two in the strange little idea called “Unity ‘08”, the third-party plan for a bi-partisan ticket for President. People have been throwing this idea out to Hagel for a while now, and he generally swats it away with a laugh. But in the recent Salon.com article, Hagel said this:

“I've been briefed on what it is ... I think that that could end up a very credible effort. It would be a ticket. The American people, whether Democrat or Republican, are so fed up with Washington. They think both parties are in the pockets of big labor, big government or some big entities and the little guy doesn't have as much of a voice. The lobbyists, the lawyers, the special interests are huge. This place is entangled with the web of special interest in both parties. It's gotten worse.”

Now that’s hardly laughing it off, and with Hagel’s dinner-date with billionaire Mike Bloomberg, you wonder a little where Hagel’s head is these days.

The winds are still blowing…