Halliburton Set for Spotlight in VP Debates

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Think Cheney might lose it and tell Edwards to fuck himself?

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A name likely to come up in Tuesday's vice presidential debate is Halliburton, the Texas company once run by Dick Cheney that Democrats say is an example of cronyism because of its lucrative Iraq deals.


Democrats expect their vice presidential choice, former trial lawyer Sen. John Edwards, to seize on the Halliburton issue in the debate on Tuesday with Vice President Cheney, whose advisers say their opponent's allegations are baseless and false.


Halliburton is the military's biggest contractor in Iraq, with potential business of up to $18 billion, according to government estimates, and is a lightning rod of Democratic criticism.


Cheney, who strongly denies any impropriety, was chief executive officer of Halliburton from 1995 until 2000 when he joined the Republican ticket for the White House.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/campaign_halliburton_dc

[luaneryder]

1. Oh pleez, pleez I hope

Cheney loses it! Nothing would make me happier than to see him pop a cork and tell John to fuckoff on national TV.

[WhiteTara]

2. I think that John will mop the floor with the jackal cheny

After all, he has trained for his entire life to stand up for
us, the citizen against the grinding machine.  GO JOHN!!

[Eye and Monkey]

3. "I refer to Dick Cheney as the Spiro Agnew of 2004," said Harkin

And - " ...a good trial attorney could have, I think, a field day in court with that one"

Tom Harkin in the cited article

[gadem04]

4. I think it will happen

I've thought about it alot. I just lay there and think, think, think, and I can almost see it happening. I'm going to make it happen. I'm going to think it into happening.

Don't
Stop
Thinkin
About
Tomorrow

[realFedUp]

5. One very pointed line will do it

The public doesn't want a lengthy
discussion of this...it just doesn't
ring like Enron did.

[Gabi Hayes]

6. Edwards should SOFT PEDAL Halliburton.....Cheney will have

soundbite defenses down quite well, and make it hard for Edwards to penetrate the lies, given Cheney's intimate knowledge of his OWN finances, as well as Halliburton's machinations

I really think he should pretty much ignore Cheney, EXCEPT for the huge, gigantic lies he's been telling about the war runup, 911/AQ connections, etc

Cheney is going to do this with Edwards, instead concentrating on KERRY

you can COUNT on that: pugs are desperate to reverse the momentum their halfwit dauphin has given the dems, and they must rely on Cheney to do so

he will NOT bother with Edwards; almost all of his lies will be directed at Kerry

are the dems smart enough to realize this, and plan along those lines; having Edwards immersed in Kerry's record, as well as the perfidy of the chimpadmin?

I dearly hope so

[Beetwasher]

7. If Cheney's Concentrating On Attacking Kerry, Edwards Will Tear Him To

Shreds...There will be allegation after allegation left unchallenged if he decides to concentrate on Kerry.

I honestly see no way Cheney can win this debate. He doesn't have the temperament. It will take every ounce of energy he has, bad heart and all, to stop sneering, throw in Halliburton allegations, profiteering, energy committe, run-up to war and the scumbag will be lucky to walk out of there without having had to be defibbed...

[PsN2Wind]

8. If Cheney does concentrate on Kerry

perhaps Edwards should point out that Cheney should have been the one debating Kerry since Dubya, the titular head of government, didn't fair well against him.

[PsN2Wind]

9. Just wanted to add that Edwards

could address Halliburton (and Cheney) indirectly by asking why, if we truly in a war for the survival of the nation, is there not a surtax to pay for the war as it's being fought and why are there no laws against profiteering as some companies seem to be doing.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. totally agree, and meant to say some sort of oblique approach,

like the one you mention, would be best

they'll be thrown off by this, I think, expecting a broadside, and will prepare differently

reading this, pugskunks?

too late to do anything about it now!

[Amich]

11. is there a way to watch the debates on the computer?

I don't have tv and would like to watch the debates. Can you do that? Thanks for the help anybody.

[leftchick]

15. you sure can!

On C-Span.......http://cspan.org/

welcome to DU :)

[pinniped]

12. Just a coincidence...riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

These * wars were a setup from the beginning to reap Hallibutthole billions and I hope 2004 VP-elect Edwards pounds the jerk on the issue.

I hope he also points out all the wasted billions in taxpayer dollars unaccounted for.

[Disturbed]

13. Halliburton

I feel that it would be a big mistake if Edwards mentions it. Unless Edwards has proof in simple terms of any charges it would be best to avoid it. Cheney is not stupid as w is and no doubt has his ass covered on this topic.

It may be an interesting debate.

[jamesinca]

14. Forget Halliburton

Dick Chenney as Sect. of Defense in 1991 lobbied congress to cut out those relics of the cold war and useless items from the "Gulf War". Things like the patriot missile system and the B-1 bomber. Dick Chenney is weak on defense! I know Kerry voted for this issue, but it was only after the strong argument that Chenney put up as the Sect. of Defense. Ft. Ord CA was closed after the '91 Gulf War because they stated it was to slow to respond and mobilize the entire 7th Infantry Division. A base closure as an indirect result of something that Dick Chenney did, sounds like he is weak on defense to me. Reagan cut into veterans benefits and Chenney supported those cuts to the vets. Maybe that last one is not a good point, because if the vets had the sense to get 5 deferments they too would not be called vets and as a result they would not have their benefits cut. Halliburton does not even need to be talked about. Chenney has enough of a past that he can be tacked to the wall on his voting record. He has been in public office long enough that his radical agenda is at least 10 times longer than any errors or bad votes Edwards may have cast.

I think the only thing Edwards may have to watch for is the accusation or remark of his youth and inexperience. Reagan used it well in his one debate. If they make that remark then get onto a topic that Edwards does not do to well on they will make this election about that. Edwards needs to pull out a tie, Kerry will pull the ticket. I really believe that if Edwards were to have a showing like Bush did, the republicans would try to make this election about who the VP is, not the President. Bush is going to hurt their chances twice more, so they will make this about the VP given the chance.

We need to be on the on-line and call in polls to support Edwards after the debate. We can not even let them have that!

[Libby2]

16. I hope he hammers him on this BIG TIME