Forward Oregon

Wow.

This morning got an amazing opportunity to sit next to Senator Max Cleland over breakfast, and it was amazing. Senator Cleland was in town to campaign with Democratic Senate candidate and Speaker of the Oregon House, Jeff Merkley, and did a breakfast with winners of a silent auction from the previous night. I was lucky enough to be invited when a fellow blogger won and his wife declined the early morning meal.

Senator Cleland, even more so than his reputation, is a dynamic and charismatic man. He spoke fondly of Jeff Merkley, saying that he brings the right kind of experience to job. Senator Cleland talked about how Merkley’s experience as an national security analyst in the Defense Department and for Congress would allow Merkley to “differentiate between real and manufactured threats.” Senator Cleland said that on issues of war and piece “it is hard to find candidates that get it, and Jeff Merkley gets it.”

Senator Cleland also talked about Merkley’s experience in the legislature. Cleland said that there was a saying in Georgia “many a innocent men was sent to the Georgia legislature.” Cleland talked about how being a State Representative or State Senator as he was allows you to connect with the people you serve and prepares you for the US Senate in an irreplaceable way. Then the former Senator from Georgia talked about how Merkley came to be Speaker after leading a band of progressives to wrest control from Republicans in the State House.

After Senator Cleland’s passionate remarks on behalf of Speaker Merkley, I was able become a sponge and soak up Cleland’s wisdom on a variety of subjects from stories of his experience in Vietnam, to the current quagmire in Iraq, to the failure of George Bush to capture Osama bin Laden and defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. I got to ask about a subject Cleland, a former head of the VA has a lot of knowledge about, knows a lot: brain injuries with our veterans. Cleland commended the work of Senator Patty Murray and then launched into a diatribe about the VA’s failures to address the issue, even returning money earmarked for the treatment of brain injuries, that was quite impressive. He said that only a change in the administration and the culture of the VA to focus on these devastating and undiagnosed combat injuries will solve the problem. Both Democrats, he said, will get the job done.

But in order for a Democratic President to be effective, Senator Cleland said, we need more Democrats in the Senate. Senator Max Cleland made it clear that Jeff Merkley is a uniquely qualified leader to beat Gordon Smith and serve Oregon in the United States Senate.

For such a great candidate, several bloggers are doing a fundraiser trying to raise $5k tomorrow May 1st.

Get ready for it!