Analyzing Cheney

[Doosh]

Just watching him during the Lieberman debate on C-Span, he is an effective, no nonsense debater. He is articulate and very well informed, granted Cheney is spewing bullshit, but he masks his inner neocon very well when he has to.

Of course there are some flaws, Cheney is old, hunched over, rarely makes eye contact, shifty eyed, bald, looks ill, and he barely speaks above a whisper. Those are some major visual flaws.

but when he's armed with HIS facts, Cheney can be pretty effective. Don't expect him to be some evil nazi attack dog either. The sit down debate style is more of a quiet library discussion. Edwards will have to prove his mettle here by being as well informed as Cheney, showing he knows the depth of the issues. Forget the personal attacks or going after him with Halliburton. I really doubt Edwards will go there unless Cheney attacks his profession.

John Edwards has already won on style, Cheney is a human sloth. I hope he's ready to win on substance as well.

[CityHall]

1. Handicapped by his record

He'll have two weaknesses vs. last time: 1. People know enough about his record so he won't be able to simply run on experienc and qualifications. 2. He has to defend Bush's status as a leader, rather than seem like he's the one in charge and Bush is inept.

Edwards should be good at keeping the focus on Halliburton/Enron, the mistakes in Iraq, and so forth. Watch for Cheney to try to hit Edwards on his inexperience, and Kerry on the internationalism/"global test" thing. I don't think he'll go with the "mixed messages" nonsense, this should be at a little higher level than Rove's slogans. He might go after Kerry's record voting against defense bills, but that's dangerous since he did the same, plus didn't personally serve.

[Leilani]

2. Good analysis!

I have warned DUers who think Cheney will come out breathing fire & spewing obsenities.

Cheney has been around forever, so he has a vast fund of knowledge on govt. He can sound very calm & reasonable. He is also reassuring to some people.

Is he charming or good looking like Edwards? No way.

But Cheney brings strengths; is more intelligent than Shrub & has a dry biting sense of humor, which can be quite funny.

Finally, I don t think he will lose his cool like Shrub. He is pretty calm & will not rise to bait like Bush.

IMO, they will both do well, while appealing to completely different groups of people.

[IIgnoreNobody]

3. Cheney's proven he's vulnerable emotionally with his comment to Leahy.

Edwards should nail him in the most charming way possible. He has the skill to make a very effective attack on Cheney's lack of ethics and dishonesty while still appearing as the 'good guy'.

Maybe he can goad Cheney into telling him to f** off.

[Jane Austin]

4. Cheney: "old, hunched over, rarely makes eye contact, shifty eyed, bald"

Don't forget how he rubs his hands together like Uriah Heep.

[VOX]

5. Edwards will do just fine against Cheney.

I'm as positive as one can get without being overconfident, if that makes any sense.

[davidjhorrell]

6. Andrew Sullivan on Cheney

"The format is God's gift to Daddy. They'll both be seated at a table, immediately allowing Cheney to do his assured, paternal, man-of-the-world schtick that makes me roll on my back and ask to have my tummy scratched. (Yes, I do think that Cheney is way sexier than Edwards. Not that you asked or anything.)"

Someone needs to see a psychiatrist...

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. I expect soft spoken fatherly Cheney. Any other is a loser for him.

Definitely Edwards' debate to lose but I don't expect Cheney to be so dumb as to be an ugly snarling attack dog at the debate, way too easy for us.

I think if Edwards takes the mindset that the American people are a jury, and the B/C administration is on the docket, represented by Cheney, and he is trying to make his case that they should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail.