Several print and broadcast sources called Vice President Cheney and Sen. Edwards on instances where they exaggerated or stretched facts to make their cases. The New York Times reports they "often stretched the facts last night on issues from the war in Iraq to medical malpractice lawsuits." Edwards "accused the vice president of having justified the invasion of Iraq by saying a link existed between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Mr. Cheney declared: 'I have not suggested there is a connection between Iraq and 9/11.'" What Cheney "said was only partly true, because while he has never explicitly made the link, he has on several occasions strongly suggested that evidence pointed to such a connection." Cheney "said that Mr. Kerry had repeatedly voted against spending for military weapons systems in the last years of the cold war. That is true. But Mr. Cheney, as secretary of defense in the first Bush administration, opposed some of the systems himself, including the Apache helicopter and the F-14 aircraft." The Washington Post reports Cheney "also said Iraqi security forces have 'taken almost 50 percent of the casualties in operations in Iraq, which leaves the US with 50 percent, not 90 percent.'" The United States "does not keep track of Iraqi casualties, either civilian or in the security services. Recently, a senior US official in Baghdad estimated that 750 Iraqi policemen have been killed but has no estimate of those wounded."
Cheney And Edwards Met In 2001, 2003.
Vice President Cheney raised eyebrows by saying he and Sen. Edwards had not met until the debate, but the Los Angeles Times reports it "the vice president's memory was a little off. Or maybe Edwards didn't leave much of an impression." The Kerry-Edwards campaign quickly documented two instances, in 2001 and 2003, in which Cheney was indeed present at Capitol Hill events with Edwards and acknowledged him.
Democrats Give Leahy A Front Row Seat For Debate.
The AP reports Kerry's presidential campaign gave Sen. Patrick Leahy "a prime seat Tuesday night at debate between Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards, a not-so-subtle reminder of Cheney's profane confrontation with Leahy in June. The vice president directed a vulgarity at Leahy on the Senate floor while members were assembling for their annual group photo."
