Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- American politicians are undermining the U.S. fight against terrorism by seeking political advantage from arguments over national security, Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel said.

The fight against terrorism is ``too serious to be left to headline seekers or politicians or political parties,'' Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, said on the ``Fox News Sunday'' program.

Hagel, a potential candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 2008, acknowledged concern with his own party's tactics in cases such as that of the federal judge who last week ordered the U.S. government to stop warrantless wiretapping of telephone calls involving suspected terrorists.

Following the ruling, the Republican National Committee issued a statement saying, ``Liberal judge backs Dem agenda to weaken national security.'' That type of comment is counterproductive, said Hagel.

``I've said it, even though it's my own party,'' Hagel said. ``Both parties are at significant peril in the election this year if they continue to define down to the lowest political common denominator this issue of terrorism.''

Midterm Elections

Democrats are trying to wrest control of Congress from President George W. Bush's Republicans in the Nov. 7 midterm elections. The party needs a net gain of 15 seats to take control of the 435-member House and six to win the 100-member Senate.

``We have on the one side the Democrats running around saying well, the Republicans are warmongers, they want to take your rights away from you, you can't trust them,'' Hagel said, adding that the Republicans ``are saying about the Democrats they're cut and run, you can't trust them.''

Both Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales criticized the wiretapping ruling by U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit and pledged to continue such eavesdropping while higher courts review the case.

``Those who herald this decision simply do not understand the nature of the world in which we live,'' Bush said.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, citing Democratic opposition on matters such as the telephone surveillance and the war in Iraq, said last week on NBC News that the Democratic Party ``doesn't think America is really at war'' against terrorists.

The end result of both parties seeking political advantage from the issue is that ``what you're going to find is the American people not taking it seriously,'' Hagel said.

Wiretapping

Hagel said he agreed with the judge that Bush went too far with the wiretapping policy. Yet he acknowledged that Bush needs more tools, and said he supports legislation that would expand the administration's legal rights to intercept phone calls involving suspected terrorists.

Several other senators, interviewed on Sunday television talk shows, agreed on the need to expand and define the president's rights.

``Overall we need to be able to listen to people's phone calls, who want to do bad things to America and the world,'' Senator John McCain, a Republican of Arizona, said on NBC News.

Senators Arlen Specter, a Republican of Pennsylvania, and Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat of California, said on CNN that they also hoped to enact the compromise legislation. It is ``potentially very dangerous for a president to have this wide swath of power,'' Feinstein said.

``Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States is going to have to decide the issue,'' Specter said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Basken in Washington at pbasken@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 20, 2006 14:17 EDT