he trounced Edwards

The Supreme Emperor and Boss Tweed of The Sociopathic Plutocracy.  A man with a one-trick-pony definition of what it means to be "successful."  Serious anal-retentive control freak with a mean/cruel streak a neoconservative democracy wide.  The man behind the curtains to the Great and Glorious Dubya.  One-man Constitution-wrecking crew; white version of Idi Amin, especially with respect to corrupt dealings and conflicts of interest, using political office for manipulation and personal gain...other than that, he's a hell of a shot. 

To all who thought a great debate a great Veep makes, what do you think of him now?  Ask Scooter Libby; ask anyone who dared cross him...Valerie Plame, Joe Wilson...think Mafia Don with a WASP upbringing and you've NAILED Cheney and his existentialistic, the economy-is-more-important-than-the-Constitution cabal of thugs.

his daughter is a lesbian and he's against gay marriage what a sick bastard

An arrogant definat egotist with a chip on his shoulder and a constant scowl!

Fubby little chucker isn't he?

i seem to remember all he did was act like a bully and growl

I would have to say he went easy on former Senator Edwards, even through he attacked Edwards attendance record in the Senate, he stuck more to paving out Bush's platform of moral values for his next term...and also outlined the future for Iraq.

Ha ha it was a joke he did great against john edwards he brought up good points and was ready and looked good...

Cheney's performance in the debate was helpful in regaining the momentum the campaign lost after Bush's lackluster performance during the first presidential debate. He articulated himself and the President's policies quite well, and at the same time seemed to walk all over Edwards. Overall, Cheney's performance greatly helped the his campaign, which is more than I can say for Edwards' performance.

Cheney clearly and decisively won this debate regardless of the liberal medias biased,pro Kerry/Edwards spin !

This one was all Cheney!

EVERYBODY KNOWS CHENEY WON!! He can't win with a Liberal biast media.

Cheney's just sooo reassuring. I have high regard for Bush -- people who have met with him personally say he's sharp and knowledgeable, and that he's just poor at off-the-cuff remarks -- but it sure is a breath of fresh air to have someone of Cheney's simple eloquence to explain the conservative point of view on the issues of the day. And he really had a couple zingers in this debate. I loved when he caught Edwards dismissing the lives of Iraqis (in the course of rigging his casualty statistics to emphasize American deaths).

Dick Cheney is a slimy, reprehensible man. Just looking at him makes me sick.

I have to vote for Edwards now. Here is Dick Cheney's true voting record: He opposed federal funding for abortions -- with no exceptions in the case of rape or incest. He voted against the Equal Rights Amendment for women, along with 146 other members of Congress in 1983. On Education, he consistently opposed funding of Head Start and voted against creating the Department of Education. Raised in Wyoming and opposes, as many Westerners do, gun control limits. He was one of just 21 members of Congress, in December of 1985, to vote against a ban on armor piercing bullets -- called cop killer bullets. Three years later he was one of only four members of the House voting against a ban on plastic guns that could slip through airport security machines undetected. The National Rifle Association did not oppose this ban. Also in 1988, he voted to scrap a proposed national seven-day waiting period on handgun purchases. In 1986, on the environment, he opposed refunding the Clean Water Act. He voted to postpone sanctions slapped on air polluters that failed to meet pollution standards. And he voted against legislation to require oil, chemical and other industries from making public records of emissions known to cause cancer, birth defects and other chronic diseases. He consistently voted to raise military spending. He also supported aid to the Nicaraguan rebels, even after a moratorium on funding was passed. During his 11 years in Congress,he was moderate only in his personal style, getting along with Democrats and Republicans. As for his votes, he consistently received very high marks from conservative groups ranking his record. He fought efforts to clean up hazardous waste and backed tax breaks for energy corporations. He repeatedly voted against funding for the Veterans Administration. He opposed extending the Civil Rights Act. He opposed the release of Nelson Mandela from jail in South Africa. He opposed Martin Luther King, Jr. as a holiday. Of course, not to mention Cheney tried to say that Edwards did something wrong and wasn't paying enough taxes by being an S-Corporation. This is preferred legal entity of most small businesses in America. Therefore, Cheney is basically saying all small businesses are not paying enough taxes. I'm changing my vote to Kerty/Edwards. Hard to do as a Republican, but I am!

Cheney dominated Edwards from start to finish. Cheney articulated the Bush Doctrine phenomenally: utilize economic, diplomatic and if necessary, preemptive military strikes against nations that harbor, support or pose a possible terrorist threat. He cultivated the need for war in Iraq by in no uncertain terms stating that Iraq represted the greatest possible nexus between the criteria when analyzed suggested an imminent threat. Edwards looked like a child being schooled by his teacher when he tried unsuccessfully to regurgitate DNC talking points. Cheney was strong when bringing up Kerry's record and his statement that if you can't stand up to Dean how are you going to stand up to Al Queda was very powerful. He refuted Edwards on the ecomony by pointing out that he was using last years statistics to avoid mentioning the economy has created over 1.7 million new jobs this year. He killed Edwards on the S-Corp tax loophole retort and his closing statement was strong particularly in contrast to Edwards pathetic and lame America's light is flickering out mantra. They both bombed the gay marriage and rise in teenage African American Aids rates. All in all Cheney reestablished the footing on which the ticket stands after Bush bombed last week- an excellent job!

WOW! This debate is hands down for Cheney! Edwards was very much on the defense with the constant refrences to Haliburton. Cheney showing Edwards attendance record in the senate was unbelievable! I didn't know Edwards record was THAT bad. If Edwards wins, will he even show up for the inauguration?!

He made Edwards look like a a little kid.

i have never really been impressed with edwards. there is no doubt that he is a bright and able young man, but serving one term in the senate, in my humble opinion, is not enough experience for someone that will be a heartbeat away from the presidency. senator edwards seemed ill at ease, almost as if he was trying to convince himself that he was right. vice-president cheney is very dry, but came across as someone who understands the dangers facing the united states and would be willing and able to make tough decisions in a crisis. i would much rather have the nation in cheney's grandfatherly hands than in those of that whippersnapper edwards.

Cheney certainly did a better job of defending the Bush Administration than the President did himself. In stating his case, Cheney had a solid command of the facts and figures, although in some questions, the application was a bit off. He deflected a lot of the questions surrounding his Halliburton connections by pointed out Edwards thin resume and Kerry's votes against the national defense. He didn't really answer a lot of the questions, but he was unflappable nonetheless. I concur that it would have been good to see a debate between Cheney and Kerry. Edwards is a nice guy, but not much else. I do also think that Cheney is the power behind the throne, so to say, in the Administration. While he doesn't get his way all the time, it can be fairly stated that he's an integral part of the whole--that's why Bush stuck with him as a running mate. That said, Cheney won the debate on substance, but Edwards also did a decent job, if he was a little general at times.

So as American citizens, can we demand a debate between Cheney and Kerry? Isn't that what everyone wants to see - the heavyweights of each ticket going head to head? At least Cheney can coherantly discuss and defend the Bush doctrine. After seeing our President and Vice President in action, does anyone have any doubt who is top dog in this administration? Update: I think Bush is the show horse and Cheney is the WORK horse! (sorry, couldn't resist... I saw two different people post this lame sound byte and i figured i could be the third)

Cheney told too many lies! (1) He DID argue that there was an Iraq/al Qaida connection on several occasions (including Meet the Press), (2) He HAS met John Edwards on more than one occasion before, (3) the cost of Iraq WILL exceed $200 million by early next year, and (4) there are only 9.5 million ELIGIBLE voters in Afghanistan & there have been widespread reports of fraudulent registration (Cheney's 10 million registration claim alone proves it, but there are reports of people registering 6 or 7 times).

He knew a lot of facts - some real and some made up. He made several good points and he deflected several tough questions. He blew it on the Al Queda/Saddam Hussein issue - he is going to sound a lot like Clinton when he tries to back out of this one. And he spoke into his hand and looked down at the table a lot - not very Presidential

I would've given Cheney a 5 in this debate, were it not for his late slump. Edwards had it made on Domestic affairs, I admit, however, Cheney was real calm. He was ready for Edwards, flat out. Besides that, both candidates to me lied, it was just who lied better. Cheney did that. UPDATE: I hope they do a Cheney/Kerry debate in the near future. But I think Bush/Edwards would be more on the lines of the emotional debate.

First of all, both of the candidates did a good job expressing their tickets plan for America. Vice-President Cheneny, however did a better job expossing the terrible record of John Kerry and John Edwards on issues of national security and defense. TexasMom, Saddam having a link between the organization and carrying out the 9/11/01 attacks is completely different from having a link between Saddam and the terrorist organization of Al Queda. And if you watched the debate both candidates made it clear that there was a difference in the two, the link between Al Queda and Saddam was minimal said Edwards. The substance from both cnadidates was great and in the end the American people were the true winners of last night's Vice-Presidential debate.

I agree - Cheney would make a much better sparing partner for Kerry than Bush. Cheney looks and acts like a guy who doesn't get mad - but certainly gets even.

Chaney would be a lot better if he wasn't so busy lying all the time!

Edwards couldn't carry Cheney's lunch!!! Cheney did a great job! I think Edwards is the show horse and Cheney is the WORK horse.

Cheney said Saddam Huesein had an established relationship with Al Queda, in response to the next question he said, I have never suggested there was a link between Iraq and 9-11. Talk about flip-flopping.

Not even close in this one.Cheney exposed many inaccuracies in what Edwards was saying and the many flaws in the Kerry campaign.Cheney was right on when he said Kerry's campaign changed greatly after they saw the success of Howard Dean's anti-war approach!Update:Cheney told Edwards tonight is the first time we have ever met and I am the President of the Senate.What does that say about Edwards record in the Senate?Update:Regardless,Kerry and Edwards have lousy voting records in the Senate.They both should have resigned.

In the words of Joe Scarborough, Cheney obliterated Edwards. I also enjoyed this debate more than the first Presidential debate. Cheney was almost flawless while Edwards repeated Kerry's talking points and repeated himself as W did in the first Presidental debate. Edwards repeatedly broke the debate rules while Cheney, cool as a cucumber, disected Edwards and came out of the debate as a knockout winner. Anybody who thinks Edwards won this debate is seeing the world through rose-colored glasses.

This debate moved at the pace of mud being sucked through a straw, except for Cheney and Edwards exchanging the occasional barb. During one of those exchanges about Halliburton, Cheney said, there's an independent website, factcheck.com that could explain all about his relationship with Halliburton. A dot com wouldn't usually be a likely source of independent information, but you never know. I typed in www.factcheck.com. In an ironic twist, the title of this document is Why We Must Not Re-Elect President Bush. For a moment I thought maybe Cheney was making a secret plea for help from American voters (turns out factcheck.com redirected to georgesoros.com). I decided to go with my first instinct: factcheck.org, an independent website I've turned to in the past. Jackpot! I am sure this is what Cheney meant, and in fact there is an admittedly good piece offering clarification about Cheney, Halliburton, Iraq contracts and profits. But in a further twist of irony, this one piece is amid several other pieces analyzing Bush-Cheney campaign distortions of Kerry-Edwards campaign statements and proposed policies. Either way, it's funny. I do think Cheney won this debate by a hair (perhaps that hair that got caught in Edwards' mouth- Or am I the only one who noticed that?). And as vi points out below, Cheney did meet Edwards before; whether he chooses to remember it is another thing.

Cheney is just the kind of grandpa I would love to have, he seemed so relaxed with his authority. I was dissapointed to find out that he actually had met Edwards at least twice before the debate. In February 2001, Cheney thanked Edwards by name at a Senate prayer breakfast and then again when Edwards accompanied Elizabeth Dole to be sworn-in by Cheney as a North Carolina senator. I was impressed that he was so dignified when Edwards tried to bait him with the fact that his daughter is a lesbian. His answer to that was perfect.

Could have nailed Edwards on malpraticed lawsuits. However done a poor job in showing how Edwards was exploiting the malpratice lawsuits for his benefit, causing them to impede on medical care in the United States. Times where u could not here Cheney speak due to low tone

Cheney seemed slow and disengaged. Edwards was polished, engaging and brought forward his ticket's points much better than Cheney. I think it's retirement time for the old guy.

I'll come right out and admit it, I enjoyed this debate more than the first presidental debate. Cheney not only had his facts straight--but much more. He had zingers ready for the pushing and he had a continious expression that made him seem as if he were charge and completely cool and confident. One key move that Cheney made was to reveal, to the general public, John Kerry's extremely liberal, anti-military voting record in the US Senate. He also brought out the mind-blowing story about how women are coming out in record numbers to vote in Afghnanistan and can even serve in office. As he so greatly put it, Freedom is the best antitote to terror. He even pointed out how John Kerry now has the Howard Dean position that Kerry himself once opposed. Cheney said it best, Now, if [Kerry and Edwards] couldn't stand up to the pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them to stand up to Al Qaida. Finally, Cheney mopped up the floor with Senator Gone, revealing his extremely poor attendance record in the senate. Cheney, who attends the Senate every tuesday, pointed out that, The first time that I ever met [Edwards] was when you walked on the stage tonight.

Seasoned statesman versus first-term senator. No contest

Cheney was supercilious and shallow

Cheney was obviously very prepared for this debate; he seemed to be able to immediately pull facts from memory and was very clear and articulate. He doesn't get five stars from me, because, like Edwards, he bent the rules some and went off-topic several times. But overall, he was very consistent and seldom faltered in delivering responses.

very strong arguments

He did not come across as personable or likable, but he seemed well-prepared and confident. I don't agree with him at all, but I think he did a good job in the debate.

Overwhelmingly good. Why is Vice President Cheney not running for President? His perfomance decided for me whom to vote for.

Cheney was rock solid and on target. Edwards showed lack of creativtiy sticking to verbatim sound bites from last thursday. Bush had the answers Cheney used them.

Tells it like it is!