INDEPTH: US ELECTION 2004
Vice-presidential debate
CBC News Online | Oct. 6, 2004
The vice-presidential debate between Dick Cheney, left, and John Edwards
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The contrast between the two men was sharp. Vice-President Dick Cheney – a sombre-looking 30-year veteran of Washington's power circles. John Edwards – a rookie senator, oozing youth and optimism.
From the start, Cheney's mission was clear. He was out to regain the momentum that President George W. Bush appeared to have lost on Iraq in the presidential debate, a week earlier. Cheney maintained that what the United States did in Iraq "was exactly the right thing."
Edwards went on to challenge one of the administration's key claims – that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was linked to terrorism. He accused Cheney and Bush of denying reality.
(AP Photo)
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"[You say] things are going well in Iraq, contrary to what people who have been there have seen, including Republican leaders, contrary to what everyone in America sees on their TV every day. Americans [are] being kidnapped, people [are] being beheaded."
Cheney remained firm. He accused Edwards of distortions and of getting his facts wrong. He focused on what he called John Kerry's inconsistencies and suggested Kerry and Edwards had shown they were too weak to protect the country.
"They give absolutely no indication, based on that record, of being willing to go forward and aggressively pursue the war on terror with the kind of strategy that will work, that will defeat our enemies and guarantee that the United States doesn't again get attacked by the likes of al-Qaeda."
Cheney also attacked Edwards for a poor attendance record in the Senate. As vice-president, part of Cheney's job is to preside over the Senate. Cheney said he's there most Tuesdays when the Senate is in session – but that he had never met Edwards until they both walked onto the stage for the debate. (At a post-debate rally in a Cleveland park, Edwards pointed out that he had met Cheney at least three times previously.)
While Cheney attacked Edwards' inexperience, Edwards argued that a long resume doesn't equal good judgment.
"[Cheney] voted against Meals on Wheels for seniors. He voted against a holiday for Martin Luther King. He voted against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa."
After the debate, most pundits agreed on one conclusion – that Cheney was more effective than Bush was in his first debate with John Kerry in defending the administration's position on Iraq. There was also consensus that Edwards held his own in the only debate between the two main candidates for the vice-presidency.
Here are some key quotes from the 90-minute TV debate:
Senator John Edwards
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"Mr. Vice President, you are still not being straight with the American people." (in response to the vice-president's opening remarks on Iraq)
"Someone did get it wrong. But it wasn't John Kerry and John Edwards. They (Bush administration) got it wrong. When we had Osama bin Laden cornered, they left the job to the Afghan warlords."
"What John Kerry said -- and it's just as clear as day to anybody who was listening -- he said: We will find terrorists where they are and kill them before they ever do harm to the American people, first."
"We will keep this country safe. He (Kerry) defended this country as a young man, he will defend this country as president of the United States."
"This vice-president has been an advocate for over a decade for lifting sanctions against Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet."
"One thing that's very clear is that a long resume does not equal good judgment. I mean, we've seen over and over and over the misjudgments made by this administration."
"The reality is that John Kerry has consistently supported the very men that he served with in Vietnam and led."
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Vice-President Dick Cheney
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"It's important to look at all of our developments in Iraq within the broader context of the global war on terror."
"What we did in Iraq was exactly the right thing to do. If I had it to recommend all over again, I would recommend exactly the same course of action."
"It's hard to know where to start, there's so many inaccuracies
there."
(in response to Edwards' accusing the Bush administration of sending troops into war without sufficient
body armor and by lobbying to cut their pay)
"It's a consistent pattern over time of always being on the wrong side of defense issues." (talking about Kerry's stance on issues)
"You're not credible on Iraq because of the enormous inconsistencies that John Kerry and you have cited time after time after time during the course of the campaign."
"Your rhetoric, Senator, would be a lot more credible if there was a record to back it up. There isn't."
"We've never criticized his (Kerry's) patriotism. What we've questioned is his judgment. And his judgment's flawed, and the record's there for anybody who wants to look at it."
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| QUICK FACTS: |
Voting age population (VAP) in 2000:
205,815,000
Eligible voters (VEP) in 2000:
193,199,543
Voter turnout (% of VEP) in 2000:
54.5%
Numbers of seats up for election (2004):
House: 435 (all of them)
Senate: 34 (of 100)
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