This is where my inner Republican has to call shennanigans.
Cleland was rightly taken to task for holding up the creation of DHS to protect union rights. He put union rights ahead of an urgent need. And frankly, he was voted out because he voted with Tom Daschle 90% of the time in a state that is pretty red.
Kerry got into trouble because he tried to present himself as something he wasn't. He wanted to talk about his few months in combat, and not his years as an anti-war hippy who said terrible things about the folks who served. He never understood why those people were upset with him... and it had little to do with medals.
