"Republicans Gordon Smith of Oregon and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska sided with 48 Democrats and Independent Bernard Sanders in supporting the bill. No Democrats joined the 45 Republicans in voting against it. Missing from the vote were GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both staunch advocates of the president's Iraq policy.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., sided with Republicans in opposing the bill."

Is Sen. Hagel no longer under the illusion he might be a viable Presidential candidate, at least on the GOP side?

Let's see if Lieberman pulls the trigger and sides with the Dems now. The problem might be that Lieberman knows there are other GOPers that might flip Dem (Hagel, Smith, Collins, Snowe) and effectively offset his move.

Lieberman will never change sides, he has a lefty wife, lefty kids, and Democratic-leaning voters he has to win over. He can be friendlier to Republicans as an independent than he could as a Republican.

He just demonstrated he can win CT in any party and his wife is as much a social climber as he. She'd switch just for the shot at Sec Def.

PJ - he doesn't have to become an R, he can stay an I but declare he will caucus with the GOP instead of the Dems (reverse Jeffords). But I fear that you are right that even after all his talk he won't make a move. Remember Monicagate where he gave a very anti-Clinton speech but then supported Clinton in the actual vote.