Iraq

Senator Hagel addressed ongoing conflict in Iraq and the region frequently during his two terms in office. From 2002 forward, especially, he addressed it almost every single day in committee hearings, meetings, speeches, media interviews, press releases, and so on. Some of those documents are shown here, starting in 1998 and moving through 2008, Hagel's last year in office. To learn more about Hagel's response to the Iraq War, see our Life of a Senator exhibit.

Iraq 1998

Press Release, "Administration Needs Long Term Policy to Deal with Iraq," Feb. 9, 1998. (2 pages)

Floor Statement, "Establishing a Clear Objective in Iraq," Feb. 9, 1998. (4 pages)

Statement, "Supporting U.S. Military Action Against Iraq," Dec. 16, 1998. (1 page)

Iraq War Buildup, 2002-2003

Press release and floor statement, Iraq Resolution, Oct. 9, 2002. (6 pages)

Opening statement, Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Iraq, Aug. 1, 2002. (2 pages)

Transcript, CNN show, Novak, Hunt & Shields, discussing the question of war with Iraq, Aug. 31, 2002. (7 pages)

Statements, President Bush's remarks to the United Nations and U.S., Sept. 12 and Oct. 7, 2002. (2 pages)

Press releases, Iraq resolutions in the U.S. Senate and U.N. Security Council, Oct. 11 and Nov. 8, 2002. (2 pages)

Speech, Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly, Irbil, Iraq, Dec. 8, 2002. (3 pages)

Speech, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, "The United States, Iraq, and the Middle East: the Road Ahead," Dec. 16, 2002. (9 pages)

Opening Statement, Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on Iraq, Jan. 30, 2003. (1 page)

War, 2003-2004

In March of 2003, the United States led an invasion of Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein's government. The Coalition Provisional Authority led by U.S. administrator Paul Bremer governed Iraq until June 28, 2004.

Press releases on reconstruction in Iraq, April 9 and May 22, 2003. (2 pages)

Press release, "Hagel Tribute to Nebraska Troops in Iraq," April 11, 2003. (2 pages)

Opening statement, Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, "NATO Enlargement: Mending Fences and Moving Forward on Iraq," April 29, 2003. (2 pages)

Interview memo, Hagel's appearance on Meet the Press on NBC, May 25, 2003. (1 page)

Senators Hagel, Dick Lugar, and Joe Biden in Iraq, June 27, 2003.

Press release, "Hagel to Visit Iraq and Jordan," June 13, 2003. (1 page)

Statement, "Regarding President Bush's Prime-time Address on Iraq," Sept. 7, 2003. (1 page)

Statement, Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, "Iraq: Next Steps: What will an Iraq Five Year Plan Look Like?," Sept. 24, 2003. (2 pages)

Statement, "Capture of Saddam Hussein," Dec. 14, 2003. (1 page)

Statements, Banking Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance, hearings on "Financial and Economic Reconstruction in Iraq," Nov. 4, 2003 and Feb. 11, 2004. (5 pages)

Interview requests, U.S. News and World Report and CNN Late Edition, May 11 and 23, 2004. (2 pages)

Post-Handover of Power, 2004-2008

On June 28, 2004, U.S administrator Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, handed over power to the interim Iraqi government. Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and his cabinet were officially sworn in later that day. A heavy U.S. military presence remained in Iraq.

Transcripts, MSNBC's Hardball, Jan. 13, 2005; CNN's News Night with Aaron Brown, Jan. 30, 2005; CNN's Wolf Blitzer Reports, Feb. 1, 2005. (10 pages)

Statement, Committee on Foreign Relations hearing, "Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Iraq," June 7, 2005. (2 pages)

Statement, "President Bush's Address to the Nation on Iraq," June 28, 2005. (1 page)

Interview memos, NBC's Meet the Press, July 3, 2005; interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, Aug. 17, 2005; and CNN Late Edition, June 25 and Oct. 15, 2006. (4 pages)

Senators Hagel and Barack Obama, Foreign Relations Committee members, on a Congressional Delegation to Iraq and Afghanistan, July-Aug. 2008.

Floor speeches on debates in the U.S. Senate over U.S. policy in Iraq, June 21, 2006, and Sept. 20, 2007. (6 pages)

Speech, "A 21st Century Frame of Reference" on Iraq and the Middle East, Johns Hopkins University's Paul Nitze School for Advanced International Studies," Dec. 7, 2006. (10 pages)

Statement, "President Bush's Plan to Increase U.S. Troops in Iraq," Jan. 10, 2007. (2 pages)

Press releases on two visits by Hagel to Iraq, April 12, 2007 and July 13, 2008. (2 pages)

Statement, "Intelligence Committee's Phase II Report on Pre-War Intelligence," May 25, 2007. (1 page)

Press release, "Hagel Introduces Comprehensive Amendment on U.S. Iraq War Policy," July 10, 2007. (1 page)