Dick Cheney's solidity and steadiness mark him as the Bushie the left most loves to hate. There he was in Cleveland in the vice-presidential debate - the big dog against the ankle-biter, the reliable Lab showing the way to the undisciplined yapper who won't stay off the furniture.
John Edwards made millions as a plaintiff's lawyer suing physicians for medical malpractice. A year ago he was introduced to 75 top trial lawyers in "The Inner Circle" by the group's president Ned Good this way: "John Edwards is one of us. First and foremost, he's a trial lawyer who just happens to be a U.S. senator and one day will just happen to be president. He's already said medical malpractice reform will pass over his dead body." The nation's trial lawyers rank high among big contributors to the Kerry-Edwards campaign.
Edwards' performance as a one-term senator from North Carolina has been so contrary to the desires of most voters that his prospects for re-election there were dim. So he campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination and, failing that, won the consolation race to become John Kerry's running mate. As a senator, he predictably has opposed (a) tort reform and - notably - (b) lower taxes.
According to The Washington Post, Sen. Edwards has cast these votes, among others: against removing Bill Clinton from office for obstruction of justice (1999); against tax cuts for married couples (2000); against the Bush 10-year, $1.35-trillion tax cuts (2001); and against allowing oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (2002). In 2003 he voted for limiting the size of the economic stimulus tax cut, against adding a prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program, and against the $87 billion supplemental appropriation for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The vice president presides as president of the Senate. As Cheney said Tuesday, Edwards (like Kerry) has been chronically absent for Senate votes, and participated minimally in discussions of President Bush's fourth tax cut, signed into law Monday. Instead of signifying for that tax cut, on Monday night Edwards took a break from his debate preparation to tell "Nightline": "I'd say if you live in the United States of America and you vote for George Bush, you've lost your mind."
He echoed that sentiment the next night, when toward the end of the debate he looked at Cheney and said: "I don't think the nation can take four more years of your administration."