There seems to be much exuberance within Republican ranks over Dick Cheney's performance in last night's debate. Many on both sides of the race seem to think that Cheney, though gruff and low-key compared to John Edwards' smarmy Southern syrup, got the best of it. Chris Matthews, no Republican, said on "Hardball" that "it was like a squirt gun against a machine gun." Even Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert seemed to think Cheney wholloped him.
But while I'm always glad to see liberal Democrats put in their place, I have to ask those Christians who identify with the Republican Party: do you really think Cheney did a great job? I must admit, I must not be drinking whatever Hugh Hewitt (who lately seems to be morphing into Mary Matalin) is, because as a Christian I'm finding it hard to be all that enthusiastic about it.
First, it would have been a nice bonus if Cheney's best line of the debate ("The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight") had actually been true. It's not.
(Photo from the Drudge Report)
This easily disprovable claim will come back to haunt Cheney in a big way.
Secondly, when the Democrat candidate does a better job of defending the traditional definition of marriage than the Republican does, you know there's a problem on the Republican side.
John Edwards, true to his ticket, tried to have it both ways by saying that marriage is "between a man and a woman," but that the President is "trying to divide America" by endorsing a Constitutional amendment saying exactly what Edwards had just affirmed. And rather than calling him on it, Cheney sat there and declined his rebuttal.
Is it possible that some conservative Christians are getting so wrapped up in this as a team sport that they're failing to see that Dick Cheney ain't exactly what we'd want as a president and the George W. Bush could have done a lot better in filling out the ticket?
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