Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Who's da' Man?
The 10/05/04 Veep debate revisited
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a bad guy. A very bad guy. He is the terrorist mastermind who is currently running some of the most active insurgency operations in Iraq. With reputed links to Al Queda, along with a matching nihilistic worldview and ruthless modus operandi to match, al-Zarqawi is perhaps the new face of Islamist terror in the long absence of Osama Bin Laden. (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3483089.stm for more info. on al-Zarqawi)
Al-Zarqawi and his cold-blooded kin are responsible for brutally beheading completely innocent civilians and intentionally targeting children....children!....with bombings and school hostage raids. These haunted, morbid men are the enemy today.
Tuesday night, Dick Cheney showed why we need him around another 4 years to fight this menace.
For 90 minutes, the perpetually scowling Cheney sharply recited facts, deconstructed arguments, displayed the intellectual acumen and kick-butt aggressiveness that the White House needs to confront and neutralize al-Zarqawi and his ilk.
Edwards was simply out of his league Tuesday. His affirming, drawling demeanor simply did not stand a chance against Cheney's experienced heft. It was obvious that Edwards has grown fat and sassy on the rhetorical chubs he devours in product liability trials before juries of rubes. Tuesday night, Edwards was the chub in a small aquarim with a big fish.
Cheney was grumpy and frumpy. Edwards was blow dried and wide eyed. Cheney showed grim determination. Edwards showed prim vacillation.
Cheney has little charm. Edwards has trial lawyer smarm.
Cheney has the will to kick terrorist butt. Edwards is always caught in the populist rutt.
It's not that Edwards didn't acquit himself well at times. He is charming, affable, and seemed to have a solid grasp of the facts himself. And he was able to drop a few H-bombs ("Halliburton") on a few occassions to stoke up the Michael Moore base.
Yet, his attacks seemed more like annoyances to the unflappable Cheney, shooing Edwards aside like a wrinkled, old longhorn steer swatting away flies with his tail.
But Cheney's attacks were clearly registered and they hurt. Said Cheney:
I'd hate to have to give a business presentation to Cheney. Within a minute, he'd probably deconstruct my entire argument, make me feel like a total fool, then insult my family lineage to boot. What a jerk! But that's just the type of person we need taking the attack to the terrorists on their soil.
So, dear reader, here's what I recommend you take away from Tuesday's debate. Ask your undecided friends:
The 10/05/04 Veep debate revisited
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a bad guy. A very bad guy. He is the terrorist mastermind who is currently running some of the most active insurgency operations in Iraq. With reputed links to Al Queda, along with a matching nihilistic worldview and ruthless modus operandi to match, al-Zarqawi is perhaps the new face of Islamist terror in the long absence of Osama Bin Laden. (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3483089.stm for more info. on al-Zarqawi)
Al-Zarqawi and his cold-blooded kin are responsible for brutally beheading completely innocent civilians and intentionally targeting children....children!....with bombings and school hostage raids. These haunted, morbid men are the enemy today.
Tuesday night, Dick Cheney showed why we need him around another 4 years to fight this menace.
For 90 minutes, the perpetually scowling Cheney sharply recited facts, deconstructed arguments, displayed the intellectual acumen and kick-butt aggressiveness that the White House needs to confront and neutralize al-Zarqawi and his ilk.
Edwards was simply out of his league Tuesday. His affirming, drawling demeanor simply did not stand a chance against Cheney's experienced heft. It was obvious that Edwards has grown fat and sassy on the rhetorical chubs he devours in product liability trials before juries of rubes. Tuesday night, Edwards was the chub in a small aquarim with a big fish.
Cheney was grumpy and frumpy. Edwards was blow dried and wide eyed. Cheney showed grim determination. Edwards showed prim vacillation.
Cheney has little charm. Edwards has trial lawyer smarm.
Cheney has the will to kick terrorist butt. Edwards is always caught in the populist rutt.
It's not that Edwards didn't acquit himself well at times. He is charming, affable, and seemed to have a solid grasp of the facts himself. And he was able to drop a few H-bombs ("Halliburton") on a few occassions to stoke up the Michael Moore base.
Yet, his attacks seemed more like annoyances to the unflappable Cheney, shooing Edwards aside like a wrinkled, old longhorn steer swatting away flies with his tail.
But Cheney's attacks were clearly registered and they hurt. Said Cheney:
- "We heard Senator Kerry say the other night that there ought to be some kind of global test before U.S. troops are deployed preemptively to protect the United States. That's part of a track record that goes back to the 1970s when he ran for Congress the first time and said troops should not be deployed without U.N. approval."
- "Your hometown newspaper has taken to calling you "Senator Gone." You've got one of the worst attendance records in the United States Senate."
- "I couldn't figure out why [Kerry and Edward voted against the $87 Iraq bill] initially. And then I looked and figured out that what was happening was Howard Dean was making major progress in the Democratic primaries, running away with the primaries based on an anti-war record. So they, in effect, decided they would cast an anti-war vote and they voted against the troops.Now if they couldn't stand up to the pressures that Howard Dean represented, how can we expect them to stand up to Al Qaida?"
Howard Dean?!? Yeeouch!!!!
After these whithering attackes, Edwards looked like a disruptive schoolboy being scolded in the principal's office.I'd hate to have to give a business presentation to Cheney. Within a minute, he'd probably deconstruct my entire argument, make me feel like a total fool, then insult my family lineage to boot. What a jerk! But that's just the type of person we need taking the attack to the terrorists on their soil.
So, dear reader, here's what I recommend you take away from Tuesday's debate. Ask your undecided friends:
- If your neighborhood elementary school was raided by Islamic terrorists and 150 children were killed (like happened in Beslan Russian last month), why should we have to pass a "global test" to respond?
- Why do we have to satisfy the French, Germans, or UN to defend ourselves?
- After the debate Tuesday night, who would rather have in charge of protecting this country against people like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?
I wish President Bush could combine his warm stage persona with Cheney's command of the most damning facts and calm, laser-like focus in delivering the most damaging attacks. The President had better get some rest and bring his "A" game Friday night.
Stay tuned....
