WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Arizona Sen. John McCain welcomed the idea Wednesday that his long time friend and fellow Vietnam Veteran, Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, might challenge him for the Republican presidential nomination.

"He's an American hero and a person I love dearly," McCain said just off the Senate floor before a vote. "I look forward to him being on the campaign trail."

Hagel's anti-war stance would "certainly add another element" to the mix of Republican candidates in the field, McCain said. While most of the candidates say they support the war, some do so "more quietly than others," grumbled McCain who has seen his poll numbers drop as his vocal support for the war has intensified.

As for his friend, McCain said Hagel would be a "good campaigner" and added, "He's a very articulate, attractive, handsome man with an impressive record."

But "not better looking than me," he said.

Related: Hagel could announce presidential bid Monday

-- CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett