John Edwards Passes the Test

Posted on October 5, 2004

Dick Cheney is one of the most experienced men serving in the U.S. government today: a congressman, a presidential Chief of Staff for Gerald Ford, the Secretary of Defense for George H.W. Bush, and the most powerful vice president in American history. John Edwards, a one-term Senator and trial attorney, who has never been in a formal debate before this evening, was the clear underdog.

For Edwards, the test was whether he possessed the gravitas necessary to be a heartbeat away from the President of the United States in wartime. Tonight, John Edwards passed the test.

Moderator Gwen Ifill of PBS did an excellent job with the questions -- in fact, she exhausted the candidates. It was a brutal, serious debate which was heavy on issues and facts and light on fluff. Surprisingly, Cheney seemed nervous and tired -- especially towards the end, when Edwards was just getting warmed up.

Some of Edwards' best moments were:

--Edwards repeatedly hammered Cheney on the fact that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 and that Cheney has been saying on the stump that he did;

--In responding to Cheney's snippy comment that Edwards wasn't present at enough Senate votes, Edwards blasted Cheney's record as a congressman when he voted against Meals on Wheels for Seniors, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Department of Education and a resolution in support of freeing Nelson Mandela.

--In response to Ms. Ifill's question as to whether flip flops are really so bad, Edwards hammered home the flip flops of the present administration, such as opposing the Department of Homeland Security and then supporting it, and oppposing the 9/11 Commission before supporting its creation.

--Edwards pointing out the 1 million jobs lost during the past four years, which has made Bush the first American president since Herbert Hoover 72 years ago to preside over a net job loss in his term.

--Edwards blasting Cheney and Halliburton for doing business with Iran and Libya, known enemies of the United States

Dick Cheney's best moments were when he talked about gay marriage, saying that "freedom means freedom for everyone." He said that he prefers that the matter be left to the states, but that he supports President Bush (who wants a consitutional amendment to outlaw gay marriage.) The format of the debate favored Cheney, who is an awkward stump speaker, but who is most comfortable behind a desk. But towards the end, he was really just phoning it in.

As far as closing statements go, there was no contest: Edwards looked right into the camera and effortlessly connected with the viewer. Cheney just tried to scare everyone with another mention of nuclear attacks. But because of Edwards' hawkish speech about killing terrorists before they kill Americans and his impassioned defense of Israel, it fell flat. Advantage: Edwards.

Now the pressure's back on for Friday's Town Hall-style debate, which should favor President Bush's more relaxed speaking style.