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OFF THE TABLE. Well, whaddya know -- one potential '08 candidate has already taken a military strike on Iran off the table. Republican Chuck Hagel said the following, according to a Think Progress summary of an April 2006 Reuters story:
�I do not expect any kind of military solution on the Iran issue,� Hagel told a news conference. � �I think to further comment on it would be complete speculation, but I would say that a military strike against Iran, a military option, is not a viable, feasible, responsible option,� he added. � �Iran is a complicated issue. I think that a responsible approach to these challenges is to work closely with our friends and allies, in this case Pakistan, with the United Nations, with the IAEA,� he said. �I believe a political settlement will be the answer. Not a military settlement. All these issues will require a political settlement,� Hagel said.It will be interesting to see whether he walks that back now that he's considering a presidential run, or if he sticks to this stance and tries to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack on this issue.
--Garance Franke-Ruta
