EXCLUSIVE: Obama eyes Cleland for top post

President-elect Barack Obama is considering former Sen. Max Cleland for a top position of either Secretary of Veterans Affairs or Secretary of the Army.

A source familiar with transition planning said Mr. Cleland, a Vietnam veteran and triple amputee, is under consideration for those positions in an Obama administration and liberal grassroots support is building for his selection.

The president-elect’s transition team declined to comment, and the normally talkative Mr. Cleland would not respond to even a basic question from a reporter.

Mr. Cleland is a hero among many on the left for his Democratic activism since losing his U.S. Senate seat in 2002.

The one-term Georgia Democrat was defeated by Republican Saxby Chambliss, who ran an ad reviled by liberals because it used images of Mr. Cleland, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden while claiming the Democrat was weak on homeland security issues.

Mr. Cleland served several years on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States after being appointed by President Bush in 2002. He also served as the administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Carter, a position which later became known as Veterans Affairs.

A Democratic source familiar with discussions going on between the Obama transition team and potential appointees said Mr. Cleland would like to return to the nation’s capitol and serve in either role.

“Max deserves to come back,” the source said.

Mr. Cleland, 66, is a lobbyist for a medical device firm that helps wounded soldiers. He has not removed himself from the federal registry, a move that would be required under new ethics rules to be imposed by the incoming Obama administration.

Reached on his cell phone Tuesday morning, Mr. Cleland would not comment and referred the call to a retired aide who helps him with press.

The aide Lynn Kimmerly said Mr. Cleland has not been contacted by the transition team, adding, “It’s all speculation.”

The Obama transition team has strictly warned those under consideration not to speak to the press under any circumstances.

The netroots — liberal bloggers and online activists — have tremendous affection for Mr. Cleland, who they view as a symbol of the worst of a Republican campaign era of dirty politics.

Mr. Cleland had been involved in Democratic campaigning since his 2002 defeat. He was prominently featured at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and campaigned for his friend and fellow veteran Sen. John Kerry.

He also campaigned actively for Democrats during the 2006 cycle.

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