What happened to Max Cleland?
"Former VA administrator and Georgia senator Max Cleland dies at home". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 10, 2021. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded by Oglethorpe University".
What did John Cleland do for the disabled?
After recuperating at Walter Reed, Mr. Cleland moved back to Georgia and at 28 became the youngest person elected to the Georgia State Senate. As a lawmaker, he helped make public facilities accessible to people with disabilities. Mr. Cleland and President Jimmy Carter at a Veterans Day celebration in 1977. Mr.
Did Senator Cleland break his oath to protect and defend the Constitution?
Chambliss issued a press release decrying Senator Cleland for "breaking his oath to protect and defend the Constitution," because Cleland had voted for an amendment to the Chemical Weapons Treaty that would allow individuals from "terrorist nations" to be on United Nations weapons inspection teams in Iraq. The vote passed by a majority, 56-44.
Will Cleland go down in history?
At the Democratic National Convention in Boston, where Mr. Kerry was nominated, James Carville, the party strategist, introduced Mr. Cleland by saying he would go down in history for the injustice he had suffered in 2002.
Who defeated Max Cleland?
Senator Max Cleland, a decorated Vietnam veteran, was defeated tonight by Saxby Chambliss, a Republican congressman from rural Georgia who made support for the administration's defense policies a central issue in the campaign.
What did Chambliss accuse Cleland of?
The upset was as much of a shock for Democrats as the venomous campaign that preceded it in which Mr. Chambliss accused Mr. Cleland, a triple amputee, of not being committed to national security.
Why did Chambliss win the election?
Tonight, in a hall full of radiant supporters, Mr. Chambliss cited high turnout as a big reason for his win.
How many times did Osama bin Laden vote against the president?
One of the most provocative commercials flashed pictures of Osama bin Laden and then blasted Mr. Cleland, 60, for voting against the president 11 times on domestic security.
Who called Chambliss to congratulate him?
Even before half the precincts had been counted, President Bush called Mr. Chambliss to congratulate him.
Who did the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorse?
Even the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsed Mr. Chambliss, not a veteran, over Mr. Cleland, once head of the Veterans Administration and winner of the Silver Star.
Who was the Republican who lost to Cleland?
Cleland's descent began after he lost a bruising battle for re-election to Republican Saxby Chambliss in 2002. Losing was tough enough, but the way he lost added to the pain. Chambliss' campaign questioned Cleland's "courage to lead" in a campaign ad that flashed pictures of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
What did Cleland say about the fallen?
By being able to honor the fallen and their sacrifice, Cleland said he sees his life coming full circle.
What happened to Cleland in 1968?
On April 8, 1968, just days from the scheduled end of his tour in Vietnam, Cleland spotted a hand grenade in the grass as he jumped off a helicopter. It had been dropped by another soldier, and Cleland reached for it, not knowing it was live.
How did Cleland recover from the pain?
Through medication, therapy and the help of longtime friends, Cleland has recovered from the long-simmering pain. Ironically, Cleland benefitted from some of the same assistance for shell-shocked veterans that he himself pushed for as head of the Veterans Administration.
Why did Cleland go to his parents' house?
After a long and painful recovery at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Cleland went home to his parents' house in Georgia in a wheelchair to figure out how he would find purpose in life.
Why did Walter Reed return to Walter Reed?
He returned to Walter Reed decades after his first stint as a patient there, this time for treatment of post-traumatic stress syndrome and depression. There, he discovered soldiers being treated for wounds from the war in Iraq -- a war he had voted for as a U.S. senator, a vote he now regretted.
When was Cleland elected to the Senate?
In 1996, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate, Cleland was confident he was well past the greatest test of his life. But he wasn't.
Who is Max Cleland?
M eet the new Florida. He is the former Democratic senator from Georgia, Max Cleland. Just as the 2000 Florida voting fiasco symbolizes for Democrats the election-stealing illegitimacy of Bush Republicans, Cleland’s 2002 reelection defeat represents their low-blow tactics on national security. Cleland, who came back from Vietnam a triple amputee, travels often with Sen. John Kerry as the leader of the presidential candidate’s “band of brothers.” On the campaign trail, he is considered a sainted political martyr, the embodiment of liberal victimhood in the Age of Bush.
What was Cleland's undoing?
Cleland’s undoing was that he couldn’t negotiate the dilemma facing many Southern Democrats–how to vote liberal in Washington while appearing conservative at home. The Democrat was on record supporting countless tax increases, and voted with his party’s leadership against protecting the Boy Scouts from a campaign to keep them out of public schools and against banning partial-birth abortion. In many of these votes, he parted ways with his more conservative and popular colleague Miller, thus creating a major political vulnerability. He lost fair and square.
Did the Chambliss ad morph Cleland into either of these figures or say that?
The ad didn’t morph Cleland into either of these figures or say that he supported them. It noted at its beginning that the United States faced threats to its security as the screen was briefly divided into four squares, with bin Laden and Saddam in two of them and the other two filled with images of the American military.
Why did Chambliss condemn Senator Cleland?
Chambliss issued a press release decrying Senator Cleland for "breaking his oath to protect and defend the Constitution," because Cleland had voted for an amendment to the Chemical Weapons Treaty that would allow individuals from "terrorist nations" to be on United Nations weapons inspection teams in Iraq.
Why was the Cleland ad removed?
The ad was removed after protests from prominent politicians, including Republicans such as John McCain and Chuck Hagel, both of whom were also veterans of the war in Vietnam.
What did Cleland do in the Vietnam War?
He went on to receive a master's degree from Emory University (Georgia). Cleland then served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of captain. He was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including during the Battle of Khe Sanh on April 4, 1968.
What happened at Khe Sanh?
On April 8, with a month left in his tour, Cleland was ordered to set up a radio relay station on a nearby hill.
What year was Cleland on Coming Home?
According to an interview featurette with Jon Voight on the DVD of Coming Home (1978), Cleland also served during this time as a consultant on the Academy Award-winning drama set in a VA hospital in 1968.
How many items are in the Cleland Collection?
The Cleland Collection includes more than 500 memorabilia items, more than 4,500 photos, and hundreds of CDs, DVDs, videos, and films. On May 21, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Cleland to serve as the next Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.
How long did Cleland serve as the Secretary of State of Georgia?
He then served 14 years as Secretary of State of Georgia from 1982 to 1996, working closely with his future Senate colleague, Zell Miller. During this period, Cleland promoted a penny stock law in Georgia which would become the template for national regulations to curb stock manipulation abuses.
Why was Max Cleland destroyed?
Max Cleland was destroyed by GOPers for opposing the Iraq War, yet they're fine with Trump's (current) opposition. While stepping off a helicopter on Hill 471 during the battle of Khe Sanh, 25-year-old Army Captain Max Cleland spotted an unexploded M-26 grenade on the ground and, believing it to be one of his own, ...
Why did Cleland oppose Bush?
For his opposition to President Bush's military whimsy, Cleland was targeted for ouster by Rove and the Chambliss campaign , and the strategy was breathtakingly horrendous.
What was the ad for Chambliss?
The centerpiece of the campaign was an infamous television ad in support of Chambliss, which inconceivably linked Cleland with Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden , the dual supervillains of that era, while also outrageously questioning whether Cleland had "the courage to lead.". Advertisement: Advertisement.
Who was the Army Captain who exploded the M-26 grenade?
While stepping off a helicopter on Hill 471 during the battle of Khe Sanh, 25-year-old Army Captain Max Cleland spotted an unexploded M-26 grenade on the ground and, believing it to be one of his own, grabbed it just in time for the grenade to detonate. The devastating blast annihilated Cleland's forearm and both of his legs.
Who is Bob Cesca?
Bob Cesca. Bob Cesca is a regular contributor to Salon. He's also the host of " The Bob Cesca Show " podcast, and a weekly guest on both the "Stephanie Miller Show" and "Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang.". Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Who was responsible for the 2002 Iraq vote?
Since the 2008 primaries and throughout the 2016 campaign, voters and the press alike have held Hillary Clinton accountable for her 2002 vote for the authorization for use of military force in Iraq, Congress' legislative blank check for the Bush administration to either invade or not.
Was Cleland a Democrat?
By rights, a war hero like Cleland could have held his Senate post for multiple terms, even while representing a red state despite his being a member of the Democratic Party. But his career in Congress was fanatically roadblocked in 2002 by the Bush administration — specifically by Karl Rove and the Republican challenger for Cleland's seat, Saxby Chambliss. Those of you old enough to remember will likely recall the 2002 midterm election and how nearly every Democrat running for or holding office was, at that moment in time, an endangered species given the knee-jerk patriotism of post-9/11 America and the GOP's branding of everything red, white and blue.