The VP Debates

Cheney v/ Edwards. Dick looks like his autocratic and paternal self, Edwards is simply one good looking guy who flashed the most fake smile.

Of course, right now I really don't like the guy. His intimation that I am insane for planning to vote for Bush just isn't terribly endearning, you know?

Now, to the debate...

The thing I like about Cheney is that he has an air of seriousness about him that lends weight to his words. His explanation of why we went into Iraq was complete and strong even if it wasn't precisely compelling.

Edwards, on the other hand, has a sort of aggressive, conversational attitude that, with his southern accent, sounds a little like a political ad. He's repeating the same themes that Kerry stressed early in the first debate (the losing more people in September than in August and the "we need to be straight with the American people" theme). He knows his talking points and he's sticking to them.

Nice of Edwards to say that Afghanistan was the right decision and that our military. Anyway, Cheney is attacking back on the "there is no connection between Iraq and 9-11" thought. Good for him; someone in the administration needed to make the point, loudly, that this is not a war on al-Queda or on the people who perpetrated the WTC attacks. This is a global war on terror--a wide-ranging activity that does not stop with al-Queda.

Speaking of staying on talking points, I love hearing the fact that in Afghanistan there are 10,000,000 people registered to vote ("nearly half of them women"). The fact is that we have made huge changes in Afghanistan, and many of them for the better. Not all is good, but it is moving in the right direction. It would pain the Dems to admit it, but we've done good things there.

"Someone did get it wrong, but it wasn't John Kerry and John Edwards..." I hate it when people talk about themselves in third person. Oh, goodness, now Edwards is talking about Kerry's Vietnam service and talking about how horrible things are in Afghanistan. And he's interrupting Cheney--he's not a pleasant person is he?