Max Cleland May be Kerry's Chosen one for Veep

[FrenchieCat]

As a rabid Clark supporter, I have been thinking of who, apart from Clark, fills most of the qualifications that John Kerry has expressed as one who could handle the job.

Max Cleland comes to my mind. Please remember that he "quit" the 9/11 Commission a few months back. He has since been tirelessly campaigning for Senator Kerry. He shows up at a lot of the Democratic Dinners in many states to introduce the Keynote peakers.

Also I note that there has been a very agressive outrage on what the GOP did to Max Cleland during his re-election bid. Furthermore, the man is a decorated war hero.

Here are Cleland's attractive traits and qualifications:
1. Decorated war hero
2. Was head of Veteran's affairs under Carter (please correct me if I am wrong).
3. Has legislative experience from his time in the Senate.
4. Currently does not have a "job"
5. Southerner
6. I believe that he was on some Senate committees that dealt with National security and/or Foreign Relations.
7. Is relatively conservative.
8. Has not much baggage
9. Is an everyday man who speaks from his heart.
10. Is a close friend of John Kerry, who certainly trusts him.
11. Is handicapped...which could work to his advantage in forcing the GOP to "watch what it says".
12. Would not "upstage" John Kerry
13. Has his ambitions in "Check"
14. Would be defended by other Dems....The press would try to be on their "Best Behavior".
15. Is not shy in the "attack dog" mode against Bush and Cheney.
16. Is under the media Veep radar
17. Would make John Kerry look like an inovative leader who is bold and courageous in his Veep pick
18. Belongs to a minority group.
19. I believe that he may be as effective as any of the others in working across the aisles.

Here are Cleland's downside:
1. He did lose his re-election bid...and can be perceived as a loser (but then Edwards, Clark, Gephardt and a few others are in the same boat).
2. The fact that he didn't fight back successfully during this re-election bid could give rise to the perception of weakness in a time of the need for re-assurance. His handicap my also give the perception of weakness at a time when Americans want to feel secure (that nothing bad will happen to them).
3. Although a forceful speaker, does not spell out charisma.
4. Fickle and shallow Americans my believe that Health and good looks are more important than qualifications...and although this may not be articulated, the undercurrents may still affect the election.
5. Question as to whether he has enough executive experience to become "President" instantly if the need arose.

All in all, Cleland my be in the best position to provide John Kerry with the type of "surprise" announcement he is hoping for in naming a Vice President. His qualifications aren't bad either.

I believe that the Iraq War and the War on Terror will be the issue for the upcoming 2004 Presidential election.

[H2O Man]

1. While I like Max....

there is ZERO chance of his being picked for VP.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Can you elaborate on

your obvious Insider's info?

[bluestateguy]

2. he will have to fight back, and a lot harder this time

He is eminently qualified for the job, but he damn well better show that he has learned his lesson from 2002.

[Pachamama]

3. Secretary of Defense...not Veep...I think soldiers would respect a man..

...who "actually served" and lost 3 limbs than the sadistic Neo-con Rummy now running the Pentagon....and he would definitely not subscribe to torture on his watch...

He qualifies too (Clark doesn't) because he hasn't been on active duty for decades...

[jayavarman]

5. I think he does now have a 'job'

I remember hearing that Bush had appointed Max to be the head of the Import-Export Bank . . . or something like that . . .

[FrenchieCat]

7. You are correct......

I did find this tidbit back from November....
http://www.globalfreepress.com/article.pl?sid=03/11/24/1814239

After criticising the White House, "Bush is scamming America", 9/11 Commissioner Cleland already didn't show up at Round 5 last week.



New job takes Cleland off 9/11 panel
WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Former Sen. Max Cleland, a Democrat, has been nominated by President Bush to serve on the board of the Export-Import Bank.

As a result he will have to leave the commission investigating the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

The statutes governing the panel, formally known as The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, bar anyone who holds a federal job like being on the Ex-Im Board.

Cleland has been one of the more outspoken members of the commission, accusing the administration of delaying access to vital documents in an effort to run out the clock on its investigation.

[funky_bug]

6. You covered just about every point my hubby and I discussed last night

We were having dinner and discussing the "who else" of the Veep game. Cleland get coming back over and over again as an over-looked, yet highly likely choice. To quote one point you made (for discussion):

11. Is handicapped...which could work to his advantage in forcing the GOP to "watch what it says".

I believe the GOP will not be as brazen to try the tactics they tried during Cleland's re-election campaign. He and the Kerry camp would be ready with guns aimed if they were stupid enough to try another morphing trick (nationwide this time, mind you) and it would backfire in a most pleasant way. Remember also, Teresa stated that while she was disillusioned with the Republican party, it wasn't until their treatment of Cleland that she abandoned the party and registered as a Democrat. There are very strong ties with Kerry, and for all the reasons mentioned, he should not be overlooked as a possible VP.

We discussed Graham in length, but came to the conclusion that while he fits many of the qualifications, he lacks something that Cleland clearly has; name recognition.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Here is another article about

Max Cleland and the 9/11 Commission....

http://www.911truth.org/article.php?story=20040525104145424

Scamming America: The Official 9/11 Cover-up" is named after a quote by former Sen. Max Cleland, who resigned from the commission last November with the words, "Bush is scamming America."

Cleland attacked his own commission after the other members cut a deal to accept highly limited access to CIA reports to the White House that may indicate advance knowledge of the attacks on the part of the Bush administration. "This is a scam," Cleland said. "It's disgusting. America is being cheated."

"As each day goes by," Cleland said, "we learn that this government knew a whole lot more about these terrorists before September 11 than it has ever admitted.... Let's chase this rabbit into the ground. They had a plan to go to war and when 9/11 happened that's what they did; they went to war."

[Kahuna]

9. Yeah right, Frenchie...... NOT!

;)

[FrenchieCat]

10. Kahuna....

we have to entertain the idea. It's bound to be one that John Kerry may be thinking about. I believe that Wes Clark is a more attractive candidate (not in terms of looks)....but I still want to see who the real competition might be....of those who measure up to the John Kerry standards.

;) ;)

[Rowdyboy]

12. I don't necessarily disagree with you, Kahuna

I just wonder why you're so certain...

[troublemaker]

11. Cleland could lose the election

I like the guy, but FDR tried to keep his disability secret for a reason. Other things being equal I don't think Americans want a highly disabled president. I'm not saying that's right, just that it's what it is.

[tom22]

13. Great Idea

I really like it. More importantly I suspect John Kerry really likes it to.

[newyawker99]

23. Hi tom22!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dolstein]

14. Since when has a politician who lost his last election been tapped as VP?

Sorry, but this isn't going to happen.

[cosmokramer]

15. Al Gore & George Bush Sr...

...and possible Gephardt, Cleland, or Clark.

[dolstein]

17. I'll give you Bush Sr., but not Gore

Gore was reelection to the Senate after his failed bid for the Democratic nomination 1988.

Bush Sr. had not only lost in his bid for the Republican nomination in 1980, but he had also lost to Lloyd Benten in a 1970 senate race. So Bush Sr. was a two-time loser.

[cosmokramer]

22. Nonetheless...

...Gore lost a bid for the Presidency prior to actually becoming a Vice President, which was my point.

[WilliamPitt]

16. This is actually brilliant

Can anyone tell me why this would be a bad idea?

[dolstein]

18. Sure, I could give you a few

1. Max Cleland lost his last political contest. Sure, what the Republicans did to him wasn't fair. But politics, like life, isn't fair. And Cleland wasn't a strong enough candidate to beat back the Republican assault.

2. Even with Cleland on the ticket, Kerry would still get buried in Georgia.

3. If Kerry is looking for a candidate who could give him a slight boost in the South, he's already got John Edwards. Edwards is far more charismatic and energetic than Cleland is. Sure, he doesn't have Cleland's military record, but Cleland's military record couldn't save him in his senate race, so it's of dubious value at best. Edwards is also far better known and better tested on the national stage than Cleland.

4. If Kerry insists on a Southernor with military credentials, he's got Wes Clark. He's not as disciplined a candidate as Edwards, but he's still, in my opinion, a better choice than Cleland.

[WilliamPitt]

19. Thanks

[LandOLincoln]

20. Cleland would be a good SecDef....

a position for which Wes Clark is ineligible.

But VP...nope. That's for Wes.

And yes, I'd bet money if I had any.

[FrenchieCat]

21. I disagree....

that Edwards has been tested on the national stage...not by the media, he hasn't.

Edwards was the chosen one to be Primary guy #2. As far behind as he stayed behind John Kerry, dirt was never dished out about him in the same way it was about some of the other candidates. The media wanted a horserace....and dissing the 2nd man far behind would not have resulted in anything even close to what they wanted to have happened. So the velvet gloves were worn when reporting on Edwards...hence we heard..."great campaigner"...."smooth speaker"...."reminiscent of Clinton"......"Positive guy"....."Young and energetic"...."superb fundraiser". Most of his following didn't come until after the "big media build up" that started in the 2nd week of January.

What did we hear that was negative? Nada. Not even the questions that arose about his campaign contributions back in the earlier days of the campaign. Not one negative word. That won't remain as it is.

So don't fool yourself. Edwards has not yet been vetted by the media...and has not yet really played on the National Stage.

Here's a telling portion of a transcript from CNN on IP today...

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/20/ips.00.html
Time for your weekend political fix on topics from Senator Kerry's potential running mate to the latest battleground states with Hotline editor-in-chief Chuck Todd.

Chuck, thanks for coming in today.

CHUCK TODD, EDITOR IN CHIEF, HOTLINE: Good morning. WALLACE: We
appreciate it.

Well, you know, the question we are all talking about right now,
John Kerry and his search for a vice-presidential running mate. Is
he close to making a decision?

>snip
TODD: Well, it's funny. The mechanics of the Democratic Party are
pro-Edwards: the fund-raisers, the strategists for the Senate
committees and the House committees, because they think Edwards is very popular in the Democratic grassroots.

Yet it's never come from the Kerry campaign this stuff. And it's
funny, we saw the Heinz quote about national security. The next day
we hear about former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen. We hear that Joe
Biden might be a darkhorse. We saw that Bob Graham got an interview,
former chairman of the Intelligence Committee. So all of a sudden,
we're seeing that it's the national security guys that are actually getting John Kerry's time right now and maybe John Edwards is getting the reporters' time.

WALLACE: And other names that still appear to be -- if there's a
short list -- again, we're not in John Kerry's brain.

Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt and also Iowa's governor, Tom
Vilsack?

TODD: And it's the Vilsack one that really doesn't fit any of these
molds, because, you know, Vilsack is not a national -- national
security guy. And, you know, he's really more of an Edwards guy.
He's younger, new generation, just from the Midwest instead of the
South.

So Vilsack doesn't quite fit in this puzzle, and I have to admit,
that that's the way I think we're going at this. We're trying to put
together the puzzle that is John Kerry's brain.

WALLACE: We're waiting and waiting.

[leyton]

24. Why is Biden a possibility?

I don't see him adding to the ticket, and I don't particularly like him, he looks too slick and insiderish. Can someone enlighten me?

[JI7]

25. he is a good friend of Kerry

[venus]

26. I think Edwards had the job wrapped up a long time ago.

That's why he quit the Senate way before the primaries. My guess is he figured whoever was the nominee would have to select him - what with his youth and good looks and charisma. That's my prediction. All of this other speculation is just hooey. Kerry has been proven to be someone whose very vanilla; middle of the road, just better than Bush. He's not going to take a chance on rocking the boat.

Cleland is too outspoken for Kerry.