Last night's debate

I only got a chance to watch the last half-hour, but it was clear that Cheney and Edwards were way more evenly matched that Bush and Kerry. It was aggravating for those of us at this house to watch Cheney speak--he says absolutely everything in the same tone of voice so there's not verbal clues to tell when he's lying. (Hint: lips moving.)

The thing that gets on my nerves is the way the media makes it seem like the Vice President's only job is to sit around waiting for the President to die, like an understudy or something. A lot of people aren't aware the the V.P. chairs the Senate or that he casts deciding votes in case of a tie. Talking with my friends, I would say that most people acknowledge that the V.P. can have a lot of influence over the President, depending on their relationship.

In fact, the perception I got speaking with friends after the debate is that it's commonly believed that Cheney is the real power behind the throne, an assessment I certainly can't disagree with. Edwards is perceived more as working for Kerry, which led this really odd power imbalance to the debate--it was like watching a coach debating a cheerleader. However, Edwards gives people a warm fuzzy and if Kerry wins the election, 8 years as V.P. could be just the thing he needs to get his political chops together enough to run for President.

Overall, I didn't see the debate as having much power to change people's minds--except that we noticed a couple good lines that Edwards got in that will have particular resonance with Hispanic voters who are sitting on the fence. It's an utter disappointment that Edwards didn't piss Cheney off so badly that he lunged across the table, but what can you do?