Max Cleland speaking to salon.com

I know you're a supporter of Sen. John Kerry.

I am yes, a big supporter.

Do you think his vote last fall in favor of war has hurt him?

Yes, it's cost him. But he and I were trying to do the right thing and give the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt. After all, the vice president stood up at the VFW convention and said Iraq is building nuclear weapons. It was all part of cherry-picking the intelligence and boosting the case for war in Iraq, which they'd already decided to do. They were just looking for reasons. They kept saying there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. And the president said it's all about terrorism and the war on terrorism. Everybody in the administration was selling this used car. The problem is all the wheels have fallen off the car and we've got a lemon. Looking back, yeah, I regret that vote. I gave the president of the United States the benefit of the doubt. He took it as a blank check. I feel like I have been duped....

So there's the answer. They were giving the president the benefit of the doubt, they were duped.
I'm sorry, I don't buy it. I could see it was a fucking lemon all the way from Oklahoma and you guys were in a position to look under the hood! I believe the truth is, most of our Democrat leaders misplaced their balls when they got a whif of the new McCarthyism, Patriotism, in the air. I hope they've found them now.