For years, Cleland fought to overcome his maiming. Even while leaving Vietnam on a stretcher, he lamented: “one minute I would be utterly grateful that I was still able to see, breathe, feel and think. The next minute I would sink into despair knowing that I would never again be the man I was once was.”
During months of rehab, Cleland battled depression, while learning how to do things with his remaining arm. He learned to walk on prosthetic legs, drive a special car, and even play basketball, noting “I was getting strong in the right places.” As he recovered, he noted how politics became “my therapy, forcing me to get out of the house and be seen.”
Through sheer determination, Cleland won a seat in the Georgia Senate (1971-1975) and then followed his fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter to Washington where he became a high-ranking administrator in what was then called the Veteran’s Administration. He ultimately returned home and became Georgia’s Secretary of State, a position he held for 14 years (1982-1996).
In 1996, Cleland succeeded his mentor Sam Nunn in the U.S. Senate. After he won, he became a vocal advocate for veterans and the environment. Journalist David Broder stressed how Cleland “embodies as much as any one person in public life can, the agonies and hopes of the last twenty years.”
In 2002, Republicans recruited Representative Saxby Chambliss — who had not served in Vietnam — to challenge Cleland. Chambliss proved to be a relatively lackluster candidate and through much of the race he trailed Cleland. But with control of the Senate potentially at stake, operative Rick Wilson labored to help Chambliss stage a comeback.
Wilson unleashed one of the most infamous attacks in the history of U.S. political campaigns. The strategist later said that “everyone assumed Cleland was immune to critiques on national security issues,” but that perception didn’t account for just how dirty Wilson was willing to fight. As he admitted, “I have no moral center when it comes to political ads, and I will destroy the innocent and the guilty.”
Wilson created an ad that emphasized how Cleland had voted against 11 amendments to President Bush’s plan to create a Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The television spot showed photos of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and implied Cleland had aided them with his lack of “courage to lead.” In reality, he voted against the amendments because he wanted civil service protections for DHS employees.