VeepDeb 2004

Sorry, I was looking for a cool way to say Vice Presidential Debate 2004. But of course there's nothing cool about a veep debate.

Anyway, here are my thoughts, accompanied by the time I thought of them.

9:12: Edwards has a nice smile, which will help him a lot. It's disarming. Speaking of disarming, Cheney just said we attacked Iraq because it was the most likely nexus of WMDs and terrorism. I hadn't heard that argument before, and it initially struck me as a good one. But then I realized: Prior to the war, Iraq didn't have WMDs, and had very few terrorists. Pakistan and Iran both seem like more likely Nexuses. Or is it Nexii? Whatever.

9:37: I thought Cheney had hit his zenith when he challenged the math behind Kerry and Edwards' contention that the U.S. has borne 90 percent of the costs and casualties in Iraq. But then he pulled out that line about how they voted against $87 billion for the war during the run-up to the Democratic primaries. To paraphrase: "If you couldn't stand the pressure from Howard Dean, how will you handle the pressure from Al Qaeda?" Devastating. Take notes, kids. That's why this guy's president.

9:42: Not to nitpick, but... Okay, I'm gonna nitpick. Cheney just directed millions of Americans to visit Factcheck.com for the truth about Halliburton. No such thing, dude. Maybe you meant Factcheck.org.

9:48: Oh geez. Edwards comes back with a deadly response to strong criticism of his Senate attendance record. He accuses Cheney of voting against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela, and an MLK holiday. Cheney lets that go unchallenged. There goes Bush's miniscule percentage of the black vote. Cheney also fails to respond to an accusation that he voted against Head Start and Meals on Wheels.

However, Edwards fails to invoke his "son of a factory worker" biography in a question about helping the poor in Cleveland. Oops.

By the way, this is the surliest debate I've ever seen -- and yet all the criticisms seems to be fair and aboveboard. This is great stuff.

10:16: Cringe. Asked what makes him qualified to be Vice President, Edwards mentions that he's traveled the world. Please drop this answer.

Cheney responds by accusing Kerry of picking Edwards to help deliver the South. Ouch. He's doing a good job of making it look like the Dems do things out of political expediency.

The most telling fact for me, however, is that Edwards keeps referring to Kerry's record and answers in the last debate. Cheney isn't doing that so often with Bush. I wonder why.

7:20: Oh geez! Cheney manages to work in tales of his own modest upbringing in a question about what makes him different from Edwards. Edwards should definitely be winning the "who comes from a more modest background" contest. He's definitely suffered from a lack of domestic questions, but I think Cheney's won this one.

7:34: Hold the presses. Edwards is telling his story of how his dad used to practice doing math at the kitchen table to get a better job at the mill. This story is so decent it's heartbreaking. I think Edwards may have won a few people over with the emotional appeal.

Cheney's closer is boring.

7:36: Okay, so here's how I see this.

Edwards won on looks and style. This things shouldn't be important but they are. He had one of the best hits of the night when Cheney didn't have a good answer about why he apparently voted against MLK, Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and oh yeah, Nelson Mandela. Edwards had a strong point that the country is more divided than ever under President "Uniter Not a Divider" Bush.

Cheney won the rhetoric contest by having a powerful thesis and sticking to it: Kerry and Edwards do things for political reasons, not because they actually believe in them. Of course that's a little true of every politician ever, but still, well played. It was a smooth way to turn his lack of flash to his advantage.

Addendum: Haha. Edwards has a little victory over Cheney with his slick closing maneuver: He shakes Cheney's hand before Cheney can get out of his chair, making him look small. Nice move, Edwards.

Addendum #2: I missed the fact that Edwards also said Cheney voted against a ban on allowing plastic, metal-detector-proof guns on planes. Geez.