October 6, 2004
DON'T YOU AT LEAST RECALL MY HAIR?:
Meeting Was Not First for Cheney, Edwards (LIZ SIDOTI, 10/06/04, Associated Press)
Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday night that the debate with Democratic Sen. John Edwards marked the first time they had met. In fact, the two had met at least three times previously. [...]Edwards didn't forget their prayer-breakfast meeting. The Democratic vice presidential candidate noted the discrepancy at a post-debate rally in a Cleveland park, calling it an example of Cheney "still not being straight with the American people."
"The vice president said that the first time I met Senator Edwards was tonight when we walked on the stage. I guess he forgot the time we sat next to each other for a couple hours about three years ago. I guess he forgot the time we met at the swearing in of another senator. So, my wife Elizabeth reminded him on the stage," Edwards said as the crowd roared.
According to Edwards' staff, Cheney replied, "Oh, yeah."
Funny enough that they never actually met in the Senate chamber, even more amusing is that the Senator made so littler impression. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 6, 2004 12:02 PM
Cheney knew this. It was brilliant theatre. It also sets him up to apologize and once again point out what a cipher Edwards is.
Posted by: JimGooding at October 6, 2004 12:42 PMSenator John Edwards Throttlebottom
Posted by: Raoul Ortega at October 6, 2004 12:55 PMTypical Dem tactic - find a minor error in a statement/argument that does nothing to dispute the essential point and use it to try and refute the argument.
This was too good a point to let them Dems spin away. Jim is right - Cheney should apologize by saying something like "Apparently Senator Edwards and I were both in attendance at some social or minor events. My point related to the business of the Senate and Senator Edwards poor attendance record as evidence by....."
Posted by: AWW at October 6, 2004 1:13 PMWhat Cheney's statement really does is open the way for President Bush to slice Kerry to ribbons for HIS attendance record in the Senate the past two years, along with his record of attendance to Intelligence Committee meetings when he was on the Senate Intel. Comm. Kerry won't have an answer for missing 70+% of the open meetings over a period of several years. And Bush can also say that Kerry won't release his attendance record for closed-session meetings (just like he won't release his tax records and his military records).
Posted by: jim hamlen at October 6, 2004 1:44 PM"Senator, I served with senators. I knew senators. Senators were friends of mine. Senator, you're no senator."
Cheney: Oh, yeah, you were that little squirrley guy at the photo op, now I remember you. I told you that if you keep your grades up when you become a big boy you could be a Senator! What have you been up to?
Posted by: Governor Breck at October 6, 2004 6:56 PMoj,
I love what blogger "Blogsirator", http://blogspirator.blogspot.com/2004/10/debunking-ap-claim-that-vps-claim.html, said:
"It reminds The Blogspirator of a 15 year old girl sniffing about the High School football Captain, "I guess he forgot about the time three years ago when he sat next to me on the bus!"
Mike
If Edwards himself had remembered the meeting, why didn't he point it out during the debate, when if might have blunted Cheney's point ?
Posted by: Michael Herdegen at October 7, 2004 1:59 AMMichael:
He didn't know how to put the words "health care" in his rejoinder.
Posted by: ratbert at October 7, 2004 10:46 AMI'm sorry, Senator, but you are right we have met before. It's just that you're such an eminently forgettable person that I just plain forgot about it. I can't help it if you make less of an impression than a may fly.
Posted by: Bart at October 7, 2004 11:41 AM