Tom Oliphant's: Cheney Proves His Irrelevance

[democrat in Tallahassee]

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/debates/articles/2004/10/06/cheney_proves_his_irrelevance/

Cheney proves his irrelevance
By Thomas Oliphant, Globe Columnist | October 6, 2004

CLEVELAND
THE COUNTRY doesn't need Dick Cheney any more. After his 90 minutes on the stage last night, it is clear he is no longer an essential person in politics and government. What he brings to the table are liabilities.


In debate against an opponent with the dangerously attractive attribute of freshness, Cheney paled -- literally. He's not special, it turns out. He doesn't know anything special, he hasn't done anything special, and for the future he doesn't offer anything special.

[Inland]

1. Cheney--no successes besides grabbing power. What's he good for?

Aside from a playbook of how to insinuate yourself into being the real power in the exec branch--but for those of us who aren't dreaming of a bureacratic coup d'etat.

[JPZenger]

2. Great Cartoon

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/phillycom_teases/9844405.htm

[myopic4141]

3. Global Test

I prefer the term "stink test". After all, no matter how much perfume is put on a dead skunk, in the final analysis, it still smells like a dead skunk. It would seem that the only course of action by Bush/Cheney is to throw more perfume on the dead skunk. So much so that by 20Jan05, the aroma will reek of a two-bit bordello as well. Makes it hard to create an exit plan when no one knows where the stench of incompetence will lead.

[Cha]

4. This is Beau-ti-ful!

"Cheney went into office with the typical benefit of the doubt. Now, more people in polls express unfavorable views about him than favorable ones. As he showed last night, the only way he can deal with questions about his repeated misleading of the public on matters of war and peace is by ignoring the questions and launching into another effort to make Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda seem part of the same coalition and then questioning the patriotism of all who criticize him. It can seem like decent television, but in fact it undermines his president politically as much as it helps rally the Republican base.

John Edwards had the political discipline to resist the temptation to behave with Cheney's off-putting nastiness, restricting himself to one powerful recitation of the vice president's long record of extreme right-wing position on race relations and education. He helps John Kerry politically, but what was important last night was that he helped demonstrate that Cheney isn't a big player anymore, that Edwards can play on the same stage, and therefore that the country is free to change leaders next month."