Cheney:
In Des Moines, Cheney went beyond previous restraints to suggest that the country would be more vulnerable to attack under Kerry. "It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on November 2nd, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again," the vice president said, "that we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States, and that we'll fall back into the pre-9/11 mind-set, if you will, that in fact these terrorist attacks are just criminal acts and that we are not really at war."

Edwards:
Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, interviewed aboard his plane after leaving Ohio, said of Cheney's comments: "What he said was meant to scare voters, period. And it's completely contrary to what's in the best interest of the American people. . . . It was way over the top and I think un-American."

The Kerry campaign called Cheney's allegation "un-American" and said Bush would not be able to "distract the American people" from problems in Iraq and with the U.S. economy.

Honilov:
Does Cheney really, really, really think this or is he just trying to scare the people? In my opinion, people are already scared under Bush's leadership.

Here's the bull

And Bull it is, at least if alQaeda operations are what's being suggested, because their operations are planned and prepared years in advance. Regardless of who wins the election in November, any attack taking place in the four years following has already reached a fairly advanced stage.

But consider some of the Bush administration's achievements in combatting terrorism:

The number of cargo containers being inspected by the Coast Guard is down to half what it used to be, should alQaeda be considering this method of bringing a bomb, or people, into the US.

The number of "Air Marshalls" -- the last line of defence against airline hijack -- has been reduced.

The budget of the Department of Homeland Security is so poor that the Coast Gaurd's "deepwater" program of modernization (approved under the previous administration and actually begun under Bush) is now on hold.

Although the President tells us that North Korea is a threat, our troops who have helped to contain that threat for the past 50-odd years are now being withdrawn.

2003 saw an increase in the number of terrorist attacks world-wide, reversing an 8 year trend. I'm not looking forward to reading the 2004 report, but of course, it won't be available until after the election. I suspect that Bush can consider himself lucky on that count.

If we are attacked by alQaeda sometime in the next four years, I wonder how many people will remember Bush saying "Those guys just aren't a problem any more."

Alan Moore

If things are done fair (without cheating again) and Kerry wins, and there's another terrorist attack, I can just hear Cheney blaming it on Kerry. Not so long ago on 9/11, Cheney never said that the terrorists attacked because Bush was president.

To me, his bull sounds like a scare tactic to the voters, especially the undecided ones.

quote:

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Originally posted by honilov:

Edwards:
Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, interviewed aboard his plane after leaving Ohio, said of Cheney's comments: "What he said was meant to scare voters, period. And it's completely contrary to what's in the best interest of the American people. . . . It was way over the top and I think un-American."

The Kerry campaign called Cheney's allegation "un-American" and said Bush would not be able to "distract the American people" from problems in Iraq and with the U.S. economy.

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UnAmerican???Which America, Mr. Edwards???

Maybe I have a short memory, but the nastiness and the mudslinging in this election seems to be worse than I've ever seen it. I'm so sick of the campaign and the negative ads I could throw up just thinking about it. November 2nd can't come soon enough for me.

Jelp, this may be the only thing about the election that we agree on, but....I'm so sick of the campaign and the negative ads, too. By November, some of the mudslinging might turn to 'real' mud being physically slung at one of them.

I'll be glad when the election is over too, but I can't say November 2nd can't come soon enough though, because that means cold weather.