When Barack Obama came to national prominence in 2004 as Keynote Speaker for the Democratic National Convention, he he emphasized that there was "not a liberal America or conservative America, there's the United States of America." It is with this idealism that brought the message of "hope" that he has campaigned on since. One of the most visible ways to offer this idea of bipartisonship is to make an influential politician like Sen. Chuck Hagel the VP. While he is a Republican US Senator from Nebraska, he has been a vocal critic of the War in Iraq, and offers many moderate positions that appeal to both Republicans and Democrats alike. With a Vice-Presidential nominee like Sen. Chuck Hagel, Obama can demonstrate his strong commitment to try to unite a country that has for too long been polarized in the current electoral process, and to end the era of 51-49 election victories.