The Test of our Times: on Jobs

Max Cleland: Opposed DHS hiring practices; use civil service rules

Cleland was a war hero during the Vietnam War. But in the wake of 9/11, Cleland's vote against creating the Department of Homeland Security came back to haunt him. He specifically objected to measures that would give the secretary greater flexibility to hire and fire workers than existing civil service principles allowed.

Chambliss's campaign, then, used this as evidence that Cleland was unpatriotic, and way too soft on national defense. In a campaign commercial, Osama bin Laden's photo was shown followed by a portrait of Cleland--implying that the two were somehow in cahoots, or at least of like minds. Cleland went down to defeat.

Phil Gramm: More national security; labor unions and Dems block it

The political rancor intensified. Senator Phil Gramm, Republican of Texas, said, "It's not that the Democrat leadership loves national security less, it's that they love their political security more. And they are so tied to these public employee labor unions that they're not willing to cross them on issues that have to do with the life and safety of the American people."