Indecisive Debate

The vice-presidential candidates - current VP John Cheney and VP-hopeful John Edwards - faced off in their one and only debate last night. Their responses were predictable - both toing the party line - as was the spin after the debate - both sides claiming their candidate was the clear winner. Frankly, I would be hard pressed to say that either man was the clear winner. Cheney looked and sounded tired, but Edwards wasn't exactly on his game either.

Cheney, the veteran politician with decades of experience in Washington, delivered his in a monotone, ticking off points like a metronome. While he spoke deliberately, however, he looked tired, leaning heavilly on the desk. With his head down, Cheney spoke into the desk and not to the moderator, or the audience, or his oponent. I got the impression of an old soldier who has been asked to fight yet one more campaign, tired but valiant to the end. And he laid some god punches on Edwards, calling into question Edwards' attendance record in the senate for one. At other times, he was quite gracious; on the question of gay marriage - one that touches close to home for Cheney - rather than rebut Edwards, he simply thanked him for the kind words Edwards said about his daughter and his family.

And Edwards himself was gracious, refusing to attack Cheney or his family on the gay marriage issue; instead Edwards went after Bush, reserving nothing but praise for the Cheney family. But while Cheney seemed tired, Edwards seemed energized. He was alert and attentive. He sat up straight and delivered his lines directly into the camera or to his oponent, landing a few good blows of his own, especially in the first half of the debate. Edwards attacked Cheney, accusing him and Bush of delibertely misleading the public on Iraq and of favoring big corporations like Haliburton over the American people.

All in all, it was a good debate, even if the energy did go out of it in the second half. Both men argued their points well, both men landed some solid hits, and both men side-stepped some points that should have been addressed. In the end, though, I really don't think that this debate will have much, if any, effect on the campaign as a whole. For that, we have to wait for Friday, when the two presidential candidates face off again, this time on domestic issues.