Many of us found it to be calmer and more polite than the presidential debate held on Tuesday. Pundits have called it a “gentlemen’s debate.”
Certainly, Lieberman and Cheney behaved in a more civilized fashion than the participants of the presidential debate.
Unlike Al Gore, Joe Lieberman allowed his opponent to finish his statements without interrupting.
Unlike Gore, Lieberman did not sigh childishly and make disturbing noises while his opponent spoke. Unlike Gore, Lieberman adhered to the rules of the debate.
While we appreciate Lieberman’s civil behavior, that is about all we can give him credit for. It was quite apparent from the debate that Cheney had a much better command of the issues than Lieberman did. Cheney appeared very down to earth and humble.
He also demonstrated his awareness of the issues facing America. Lieberman, however, spewed forth his typical Democratic rhetoric.
When discussion of the military came up, there was no contest as to who had better knowledge of the state of our nation’s defense. Cheney portrayed an accurate picture of the downhill slide of our military while Lieberman gave an uninformed, sugarcoated description of it.
I have two brothers who are officers in the military. Both of them confirmed what Cheney said about low morale and understaffing, all thanks to the military cutbacks of the Clinton-Gore administration.
They also confirmed that Lieberman didn’t have a clue about what he was saying. They both agreed that Cheney was far more knowledgeable about military affairs. Lieberman tried to paint the picture that he and Gore are bipartisan politicians. Yet, the most intuitive of minds could see that he was unsuccessful. He said that he and Gore were two of only 10 Democrats to cross partisan lines to support President Bush in the Gulf War. My research indicates that President Bush was almost unanimously supported in the Senate.
When Cheney brought up Gore’s targeted tax cuts, Lieberman went on to say
that only certain folks need tax cuts. Now tell me, who out there works for a
living?
To those who raised their hands, do you feel that the money you get
on payday is yours or is it Uncle Sam’s? Who are Al Gore and Joe Lieberman that
they should tell you how to spend your own money? Since when was a decrease in
taxes something that the government had to budget in and considered an
expenditure? It seems to me that a tax cut is simply the decrease of the
collection of revenue. It is not some government program.
The objective viewer would acclaim Cheney as the winner of the VP debate. He certainly appeared more vice presidential. He spoke in an open, honest and humble manner. He spoke with intelligence, and demonstrated a real concern for America and its future.
Lieberman, on the other hand, spun typical liberal tales and did not demonstrate a lucid grasp of the issues and the state of America. Ladies and gentlemen, the wise reader would herald Cheney as the winner, as he clearly won the debate.