Hagel Is Out

It's official:

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a persistent Republican critic of the Iraq war, intends to announce on Monday he will not seek a third term, according to a Republican official.

The official also said Hagel does not plan to run for the White House in 2008, despite earlier flirting with a candidacy.

Now things are going to get interesting. We might not have a realistic shot at winning Nebraska, but we sure can make the Republicans spend a lot of effort on defense.