March 2003: War in Iraq Begins

In the run up to the start of the Iraq War, a media interview request came in from Candy Crowley of CNN. She was working on a piece about political leaders with military experience. Senators Hagel, Bob Kerrey, John Kerry, Daniel Inouye, and Bob Dole were all veterans. The "OK C." on the form is a notation from Hagel signaling his agreement to the interview.

Schedule, March 11, 2003 -- 9 days before the start of the Iraq War, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ("SFRC") held a hearing on Iraq reconstruction.

Schedule, March 20, 2003 -- Hagel's schedule this day blocked out an hour for an interview with NPR alongside Senator Biden.

Memo, March 19, 2003, on "Talking Points for Interviews on March 20" -- Hagel used this memo to prepare for his NPR interview (see schedule from March 20) and other inevitable interviews about the start of the war.

Schedule, March 21, 2003 -- Hagel had scheduled a TV interview and radio interview on Iraq first thing this morning. Later that morning, he met with the Cyprus Ambassador to discuss Turkey's role in the war.

Schedule, March 27, 2003 -- A week after the start of the Iraq War, Hagel's day was set to start with a "Members Only Briefing" at which members would receive an update on the war and a radio interview on the same topic.

Hagel's schedules continued to be sprinkled with briefings, meetings, and interviews, reflecting this new reality of being at war.

Cartoon from the Omaha World-Herald's Jeff Koterba in 2002 -- Hagel sits in front of a giant map of Iraq with names of Vietnamese cities instead of Iraqi cities.

This cartoon was prescient, as Hagel would become perhaps the biggest critic among Republican Senators of the Iraq War. Interviewers or Hagel himself often referenced Vietnam when discussing Iraq.