Post debate

So if Cheney were running for President, and this were the last debate, then I would give him the edge. Edwards and Cheney both had strong points, but overall I think it's a draw in the greater picture of the whole race. The talking heads and conservatives seem to think that Cheney won, however, and talk about how strong he was. It almost seems that they wish Cheney would be their Presidential candidate. I can say they will be brought back down to reality come Friday when they see the guy they actually chose.

One other note for now. I find it funny that Edwards attacked Cheney on Halliburton on the issue of off shore accounts and tax loopholes that saved him millions, as well as calling for an end of sanctions on Iran and Libya. The media, however, sticks to the idea that he makes money while still in office. Ridiculous. I'm not sure the media actually watched the debate.

By the way, when Cheney said he never drew a link between Al Qaeda and and 9/11-Sadaam? He's a liar.

MR. RUSSERT: The Washington Post asked the American people about Saddam Hussein, and this is what they said: 69 percent said he was involved in the September 11 attacks. Are you surprised by that?
VICE PRES. CHENEY: No. I think it’s not surprising that people make that connection.

MR. RUSSERT: But is there a connection?

VICE PRES. CHENEY: We don’t know. You and I talked about this two years. You and I talked about this two years ago. I can remember you asking me this question just a few days after the original attack. At the time I said no, we didn’t have any evidence of that. Subsequent to that, we’ve learned a couple of things. We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the ’90s, that it involved training, for example, on BW and CW, that al-Qaeda sent personnel to Baghdad to get trained on the systems that are involved. The Iraqis providing bomb-making expertise and advice to the al-Qaeda organization.

Wow, snap polls seem to prove me wrong (via kos):

CBS News tracked the reactions to tonight's vice-presidential debate of a nationwide panel of 169 uncommitted voters - voters who could change their minds before Election Day. Here are the initial results. This scientific poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 7 percentage points:
By 41% to 29%, uncommitted debate watchers say Edwards won the debate tonight.

ABC has a Cheney eight point win, but Kerry/Edwards actually gain support from thsoe polled.

And the media is starting to see the Cheney lie and exposing it. Loving it. A kos reader has part of the MSNBC bit.
On both its network coverage and its cable coverage, NBC ran the Meet the Press quote where Cheney said about Iraq:

"[W]e will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11."

As Matthews is hammering right now, that is the one quote that directly contradicts Cheney's statement tonight that:

"I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11."

The Cheney quotes Kos has put on the front page, and the Cheney quotes the Kerry campaign has put on its rapid response page are about Al Qaeda in general, not 9/11 specifically. The Meet the Press quote is the proof of a lie, and it's the one quote everyone should focus on.