Macon Telegraph Endorses Saxby Chambliss

It's funny how time and circumstances beyond the control of candidates change campaigns. Eight months ago Democratic challenger Jim Martin wasn't in the primary picture. Party leaders had to twist his arm to jump into the race. Martin obviously had the most state-wide name recognition among the five challengers who included Vernon Jones, DeKalb County's CEO, Dale Cardwell, a former TV journalist, Rand Knight, an ecosystem scientist and Josh Lanier, a former Senate aide and Washington lobbyist. Martin won in a runoff against Jones.

While the Democrats were fighting it out, the incumbent first-term senator, Saxby Chambliss, was deemed invulnerable. He had a huge war chest, all the name recognition a candidate would need after serving in the House and now Senate. But even Superman can be brought to his knees by Kryptonite. Chambliss' weakness can be spelled in three simple examples. Along with Georgia's other senator, Johnny Isakson, Chambliss barnstormed the state in favor of an immigration plan that blew up in their faces. They got the message and turned tail and ran from the issue.

The two senators were also instrumental in forming the Gang of 10 that pushed an energy plan that many saw as giving too much sway to the Democratic point of view. And there's the wild card named Sen. Barack Obama and the electorate he's managed to inspire. All those factors have made the race between Chambliss and Martin a dead heat.

We have no qualms with Martin; he has been an exemplary public servant from his days in Vietnam to the Georgia Legislature to state commissioner for the Department of Human Resources under governors Roy Barnes and Sonny Perdue. That said, we are not ready to kick Chambliss to the curb just yet. Chambliss' knowledge of Middle Georgia interests, particularly agriculture and Robins Air Force Base, make him a vital component in the economic future of the mid-state. Chambliss has not forgotten what part of the state he comes from, and he must be given credit for his courageous vote for the $700 billion bailout bill. For those reasons and more, we choose Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Charles E. Richardson/for the Editorial Board
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