Runners Advance-Edwards keeps the Democrats' rally going

[mindfulNJ]

By William Saletan
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004, at 2:29 AM PT


Now are you sorry you didn't nominate this guy for president?

That's what I wanted to ask Democrats as I watched John Edwards knock Dick Cheney around the ring tonight. If the Iowa caucuses had been held two days later, Edwards might have beaten John Kerry there and won the nomination. Democrats might have been spared months of caveat-riddled circumlocutions that helped sour swing voters on their presidential nominee. We might have heard a clear Democratic message.

Well, at least we heard it tonight.

Cheney and Edwards apparently went into this debate with different theories of what it was for. When moderator Gwen Ifill asked them to discuss their differences, Cheney said "the most important consideration in picking a vice president" was having "somebody who could take over." Edwards answered the same question by outlining Kerry's platform, virtues, and accomplishments. Cheney seemed to think most viewers were tuning in to judge the vice presidential nominees. Edwards seemed to think they were tuning in to hear about the presidential nominees.

If Cheney guessed right on that question, he probably won. But if he guessed wrong—and I suspect he did—Edwards kicked his expletive. If you watched this debate as an uninformed voter, you heard an avalanche of reasons to vote for Kerry. You heard 23 times that Kerry has a "plan" for some big problem or that Bush doesn't. You heard 10 references to Halliburton, with multiple allegations of bribes, no-bid contracts, and overcharges. You heard 13 associations of Bush with drug or insurance companies. You heard four attacks on him for outsourcing. You heard again and again that he opposed the 9/11 commission and the Department of Homeland Security, that he "diverted" resources from the fight against al-Qaida to the invasion of Iraq, and that while our troops "were on the ground fighting, lobbied the Congress to cut their combat pay." You heard that Kerry served in Vietnam and would "double the special forces." You heard that Bush is coddling the Saudis, that Cheney "cut over 80 weapons systems," and that the administration has no air-cargo screening or unified terrorist watch list.


more...
http://slate.msn.com/id/2107808/

Great article! Mr. Saletan thinks it was an Edwards slam dunk...and so do I :)

[Inland]

1. Interesting--Edwards supports Kerry, Cheney supports himself

and not Bush. Edwards wants Kerry president, Cheney wants himself president. Edwards is proud of his candidate and works to help him, but Bush didn't come to Cheney's mind. Tells me all I needed to know.

[ozymandius]

2. It is abundantly clear who is the mental heavyweight

in the Bush administration. Cheney calls the shots. He knows the codes and is able to regurgitate figures and lie so soberly as to immitate fact, ersatz control of the situation.

I have seen so many mentions here and elsewhere how many times Cheney did not speak Bush's name. Now we know why. Bush is the front man for a Cheney administration. A front does not need to have a grasp of the issues. He only needs to provide the spit and charm for the pig-in-a-poke he's selling.

[Inland]

3. I don't think Cheney could bring himself to back Bush, over himself!