Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., has become very outspoken against the Republican Party and the Bush administration.

The moderate criticized his party and the administration during a lecture on Sunday.

Hagel, a Vietnam War veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has become an enigma to the Republican Party for his assaults on President George W. Bush for his handling of the war in Iraq and the U.S. economy in the past several months. These frustrations, he said, contributed, in part, to his decision to consider a bid for the 2008 Republican Party nomination for the presidency.

“I am disappointed in my party in some areas,” he said.

Nicole Woodroffe, senior in political science and president of the ISU College Republicans, previously criticized Hagel for his criticism of Bush. She backed off of her statements a bit after hearing Hagel speak.

“He did say that this is a country of free speech and that it’s his job is to question what the government is doing,” she said.

Addressing the issue of the nearly $8 trillion national debt and monthly military spending between $8 billion and $9 billion in Iraq and $1 billion in Afghanistan, Hagel said the situation in Iraq needs to be re-evaluated to increase international support.

Hagel said Iran needs to be more focused on because of its heavy influence in Iraq and the rest of the region.

He said talks on the Iranian nuclear program should not be cut because of its potentially dangerous implications.

“There will be no stability in the Middle East if Iran is excluded,” Hagel said.

Turning to domestic issues, he said as the country approaches 2008, both political parties will be moving in opposite directions, something he said could be a good thing.

Hagel also brought up the No Child Left Behind act, saying it fell short of its goals.

“No Child Left Behind, while good-intentioned, is just bad policy,” he said.

Hagel said money should be given to schools that are falling behind federal mandates instead of penalizing them, which will hurt America’s education system overall. A “growing storm” was Hagel’s greatest concern as he said children in this country are not prepared for global competition.

“Today’s leaders need to look how we prepare our workforce to stay competitive,” he said.

Hagel said there is a dangerous protectionist streak growing in both parties. Global competition should not be feared but welcomed because foreign investments are useful to this country, he said.

Mostafa Zamanian, a Democrat, said it was nice to see the senator sticking to his viewpoints even though his background and party might not share similar perspectives.

“I’m slightly impressed that he is Republican,” said Zamanian, graduate student in neuroscience.

Donald McDowell, treasurer for the ISU College Republicans, said the party would certainly welcome Chuck Hagel to run for president, but conservatives may have issues with his stances on foreign policy.

“On domestic issues, Sen. Hagel really tows the party line quite well, and that’s really pleasing to both conservative and moderate Republicans,” said McDowell, sophomore in political science. “I think where some Republicans will fault Sen. Hagel is that he’s been pretty outspoken on foreign policy, and I don’t think he quite follows the Bush doctrine.”