VP Debate Wrap-up

by C.E. Dorsett

I could spend a lot of time on the debates, but why should I? The VP is not that important, well unless it's Cheney. Everyone knows he is really running the war... Here are some observations

Cheney's veneer began to wear off easily, and the lies and bitterness began to flow. Speaking with a forked tongue, he made a clear distinction between Edwards and himself. He will say anything to maintain power, Edwards will stand on the truth.

I have to admit, it is creepy to hear a man like Cheney try to make a plea to the emotions, which he did several times. Having none himself, it comes off flat, empty, and hollow. I know it is petty, but Cheney reminded me of a Bond Villain... maybe one of Dr No's henchmen. His shifty eyes, and rumbling angry voice. He struck me as someone who has never been challenged by anyone with half a brain. It must be hard to lie as often as he does.

The funniest point in the debate was when Gwen became confused as to what question she was on, because Cheney would not answer her question. Edwards even had to ask about the subject of one question, because when asked about jobs, Cheney rambled on about nothing.

The Subject of the Anti-marriage Amendment showed the Bush/Cheney teams' lack of family values. Dick Cheney would deny his own daughter's basic human dignity for political gain. This is a place where Kerry/Edwards try to equivocate on this issue, offering platitudes and ill-informed statements on the rights granted by the word marriage. It hurt me to hear Cheney talk about the tyrannical position Bush has taken. He reminded me of a Nazi at Nuremburg. “I disagreed but I was only following orders.” Have a back bone all the time or stop pretending you have one at all!

The question of AIDS showed the administrations lack of concern. The VP said he did not know the rate of infection was higher among African-American women than their white counterparts. That exposes the problem. They are detached from the concerns of people who are not wealthy. They don't understand the concerns of gays, lesbians, African-Americans, or women.

The topic of consistency was the most interesting part of the debate. Edwards spoke clearly on the positions of their campaign. Cheney, like Bush last week, had nothing but empty talking points.

I don't have the same feeling of excitement after this debate, mainly because Cheney's icy timber filled me with an uneasiness that I have not had since the last funeral I attended. He has the warmth of an undertaker's tools, without the basic warmth that a pulse would afford him. He is a frighteningly detached man. As his cold steely eyes stared out through the TV, I listened to the lifeless words that trickled like venom out of his mouth. Truth and Cheney are distant acquaintances, and that was extremely self-evident

Edwards closing comments were stirring, lifting up the American Dream as a light to guide our policies and our vision for America. Cheney used his to cast the gloomy fear of amorphous threats in an attempt to frighten people into voting for them.

In the end, I didn't hear anything new. Cheney reused tired accusations that grade school children could see through, while Edwards tried to lay out a vision for the future. How much clearer does the choice have to get? Hope or Fear! Kerry or Bush!