Part of me admires Mark Warner for being to work with anyone, even a scumbag like Saxby Chambliss, on important issues like tax reform and deficit reduction. But another part of me is simply disgusted, when I think about what Chambliss did to war hero and triple-amputee Max Cleland:
If the mugging of Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia is a fair indicator of what is to come, the fall elections will be ugly. Cleland, a decorated veteran and triple amputee, was attacked by his Republican opponent, Rep. Saxby Chambliss, “for breaking his oath to protect and defend the Constitution.”
Shades of Lee Atwater, the fabled Republican cutthroat politico who helped pilot the first President Bush to victory. But even Atwater might have hesitated before going after a man who lost both legs and an arm in the service of his country. Chambliss did not participate in Vietnam. He had a bad knee, he told columnist Mark Shields, who was the first to call national attention to Cleland’s bizarre situation — veterans whose war wounds confine them to wheelchairs are often given a pass on patriotism, especially by those who never wore the uniform.
But Chambliss was not deterred…
As if that’s not bad enough, Chambliss also ran an ad comparing Cleland to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Utterly disgusting.
Bottom line: this is why I would never run for office and have no desire to ever be a politician. Personally, I’d never have anything to do with an evil, horrible cretin like Saxby Chambliss, let alone work with him or call him “my good friend,” as Mark Warner does in this video. I guess that’s why Warner’s the consummate (also, highly successful) politician and I’m the blogger, and I’m very happy to keep it that way. 🙂
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