Tuesday open thread: RIP Max Cleland

Max Cleland being introduced by John Kerry via tape, by Timothy J, CC BY 2.0

Word just broke that former Georgia senator Max Cleland has passed away.

A US Army veteran who served in Vietnam, Mr. Cleland lost three limbs in action. He served as Georgia secretary of state, and as senator from Georgia from 1997 to 2003.

He lost re-election in 2002 to Saxby Chambliss. It was one of the dirtiest elections in recent memory, and set the blueprint for future Republican attacks on Democrats, especially those who served in the military. From ABC's report on the senator's death:

Cleland's loss in the Senate generated enduring controversy after the Chambliss campaign aired a commercial that displayed images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein and questioned Cleland’s commitment to defense and Homeland Security. Sen. John McClain was among those who condemned the move by his fellow Republican.

Never-Trumper Rick Wilson worked on the Chambliss campaign, and was instrumental in that ad.

Max Cleland was an example of the best of us. Again from the ABC article:

Before Vietnam, Cleland had been an accomplished college swimmer and basketball player, standing 6-foot-2 and beginning to develop an interest in politics. Returning home a triple-amputee, Cleland recalled being depressed and worried about his future, yet still interested in running for office.

“I sat in my mother and daddy’s living room and took stock in my life,” Cleland said in a 2002 interview. “No job. No hope of a job. No offer of a job. No girlfriend. No apartment. No car. And I said, ‘This is a great time to run for the state Senate.”’

It's this kind of resilience in the face of seeming disaster which should motivate us. Mr. Cleland had his life changed irrevocably, and he chose not to despair. You can credit his faith or his upbringing for that, but in the end there's something inside each of us which propels us to continue, in spite of the odds. It would do us well to remember that as the political winds buffet us over the coming year.

Rest in peace, Max. We'll take it from here.

This is your open thread.