Brown, who lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, has a history of legal and drug problems, although a judge described him earlier this year as a good role model.

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"When you have a 32-year history of voting to cut defense programs and cut defense systems, folks in Georgia are going to look beyond what he says and look at his voting record, " Mr. Chambliss said in a conference call with reporters arranged by Mr. Bush's re-election campaign.

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She said experts have noted inconsistencies in some jurisdictions, such as the relatively small number of hate crimes reports in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, where there is a large black population and a history of racial intolerance.

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Although the former Republican presidential candidate would say he and former President Bill Clinton cut deals that led to a record budget surplus and the biggest economic boom in modern American history, many say the Georgia Republican's ideologically unyielding, take-no-prisoners brand of leadership ushered in an era of heel-digging politics that persists to this day.

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He said Georgia has been part "of an inspiring and hopeful new chapter in Europe's history, " and he noted that Europe "has moved beyond" the world wars and the Cold War, the standoff between Soviet-style communism and the West. iReport.com: Did you experience the Cold War?

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Hadley, an Army veteran, began collecting black history items a long time ago and finally opened a museum in Thomasville, the only one of its kind in southwest Georgia.

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