
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- If Chuck Hagel is looking to join the cast of Republican presidential hopefuls, he's certainly not taking an orthodox route.
Speculation that the senior U.S. senator from Nebraska is considering a run for the White House has run high since 2004, when he confirmed he might make the leap. A new flurry of conjecture hit political blogs and news programs Wednesday, when he revealed his intention to make an announcement on Monday about his future plans.
Loree Bykerk, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says recent rumblings within the state indicate he likely will run.
Former students of Bykerk's now active in the state Republican Party have told her of "the queuing up ... in the Republican party of who is going to run for his senate seat and keep the governor's seat and other state offices," she said.
But if Hagel is beating a path to the White House, there are those who question what he's using to pave the way.
In an interview appearing in April editions of Esquire magazine -- set to hit stands next week -- Hagel suggests that President Bush could be subject to calls for impeachment as the Iraq war drags on.
"The president says, 'I don't care.' He's not accountable anymore," Hagel said in the article.
"Before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment. I don't know. It depends on how this goes."More