Meredith Vieira Asks Retiring Anti-War Republican: 'Why Quit Now?'

NBC's Meredith Vieira actually seemed disappointed that a Republican senator wasn't running for re-election, of course that Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, is a noted war-critic. On the Thursday "Today" show, a crestfallen Vieira asked the RINO: "Senator, very quickly now, this, this week you announced you that you are not running for any office in 2008. Why quit now, given how impassioned you are about this war?...But why did you decide not to run for president? That surprised a lot of people."

Just before the Hagel interview Vieira plugged NBC News's primetime coverage of the President's speech tonight but didn't exactly give it a hard sell as she wondered if anybody would even care: "Meanwhile we're gonna turn now to President Bush addressing the nation tonight about the future of U.S. troops in Iraq but his words may fall on deaf ears."

In fact Vieira's first question to the Nebraska senator emphasized the view the President speech wasn't worth watching. The following tease occurred on the September 13 "Today" show:

Vieira: "And you can watch the President's address to the nation tonight at 9pm Eastern time, right here on NBC. Nebraska Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is a vocal critic of the President's policies in Iraq. Senator, good morning to you. Let me ask you right out of the bat. When the President speaks about Iraq tonight do you believe that he will have any credibility?"