Christopher Wemp Period 3 10/5/04 Vice Presidential Debate The Vice Presidential Debate between John Edwards and

Dic Chene! was heated" # thin the debaters $oc%sed more on c%ttin& each other down rather than tellin& what the! wo%ld do to ma e 'merica better" E(en so) the debate was a &ood one) and the moderator) *wen #$il) as ed &ood +%estions) ept the crowd %nder control) and respected both candidates, re+%ests $or e-tensions" 'll the r%les o$ the debate were the same as in the .irst Presidential Debate" The debate started o%t with Edwards and Chene! enterin& the sta&e" The! both strode on with a con$ident air) b%t as the! shoo hands) Edwards seemed more open as his arm was la- and mo(ed close to Chene! as he shoo with a broad smile on his $ace" Chene!) on the other hand) ept a sti$$ arm while sha in& and carried a serio%s tone with him" /e &a(e the impression that he openl! despised 0enator Edwards" Edwards and Chene! were both wearin& a nice s%it and red ties" The onl! di$$erence between the ties was that Chene!,s was li&ht red with blac spots while Edwards, was dar er red with a li&ht !ellow chec er pattern on it" Edwards loo ed ener&etic and happ! to be on sta&e" Chene! was almost completel! the opposite as he had tired e!es and his sho%lders were a little more h%nched o(er than Edwards," The! sat at a des in swi(el chairs) and Chene! tended to lean $orward on the des and rest on his elbows while $iddlin& aro%nd with his hands" Edwards was alwa!s sittin& %p strai&ht and maintained &ood post%re thro%&ho%t the whole debate" While spea in&) both candidates had stron& (oices and new where the! were ta in& each s%b1ect" # noticed that Chene! loo ed down while he spo e as i$ he weren,t (er! con$ident re&ardin& what he was sa!in&" 'ltho%&h that trend too awa! $rom his speeches) he was still artic%late and had &ood pron%nciation while %sin& appropriate hand &est%res" # also obser(ed how Chene! was adlibbed a $ew times thro%&ho%t the debate" /e still had appropriate answers) howe(er" Chene! reacted se(eral times to what Edwards was sa!in& b! rollin& his e!es) smilin&) or ch%c lin&" /e also sta!ed within his territor! at all times"

Edwards alwa!s loo ed %p while he was spea in& and seemed (er! con$ident as to what he was sa!in&" /e also %sed hand &est%res appropriatel!" /e seemed to be adlibbed se(eral times as well) b%t) 1%st li e Chene!) did a $ine 1ob o$ retaliatin&" Edwards hardl! reacted to what Chene! was sa!in&" /e did ta e notes) which added to the sense o$ maintainin& a con$ident air abo%t him" .or the most part) Edwards sta!ed within his territor! with the e-ception o$ the time that he pointed across the des at Chene!" There were man! topics) trans$ormed into +%estions) which were $ired at Edwards and Chene!" 2$ the $i(e # $o%nd to be most interestin&) the $irst as ed i$ 'merica,s #ntelli&ence was acceptable" Edwards, response was 3no4) and claimed that i$ he were to become (ice president) he wo%ld act to broaden the nowled&e o$ the 5"0" #ntelli&ence) $ind terrorists) and capt%re them so the! are not able to harm an! more people" Chene!,s response was that 5"0" #ntelli&ence nows a lot alread! abo%t terrorists) and then la%nched into a description o$ a partic%lar terrorist %ntil his time was %p" The second +%estion addressed how Chene! planned to ne%trali6e 7in 8aden and the terrorists that ha(e risen into his place" Chene!,s repl! was that the! wo%ld eep searchin& $or 7in 8aden) catch him) terminate him) and then deal with an! others who were also a threat" Edwards responded b! sa!in& that Chene! had a chance to deal with 7in 8aden b%t made the mista e o$ lea(in& him to the &o(ernment o$ '$&hanistan" #$ he were to become (ice president) he wo%ld ta e steps as well to capt%re 7in 8aden" The third +%estion as ed o$ Edward,s &oals $or 'merica i$ he became (ice president" /e responded b! sa!in& that he wo%ld stri(e to increase the credibilit! o$ 'merica and tr! to c%t down on the amo%nt o$ mone! we are spendin&" /e also stated how m%ch mone! was spent so $ar on the war" Chene!,s replied that Edward,s mone! $i&%res were wron&) and that there was less mone! bein& spent on the war than pres%med" The $o%rth +%estion e-plored Edwards, opinion o$ &a! marria&e" Edwards stron&l! opposed the bannin& o$ &a! marria&e" /e said that i$ a law li e that were passed) it wo%ld di(ide o%r nation in %nnecessar! wa!s" Edwards also complimented Chene!,s $amil! in acceptin& and lo(in& their

da%&hter e(en tho%&h she is lesbian" Chene!,s onl! response was to than Edwards $or his compliment" The $i$th +%estion was directed to Chene!" #$ he were to be reelected) how wo%ld he address the &rowin& n%mber o$ blac women in the 5nited 0tates in$ected with '#D09 /e said that '#D0 is tra&ic and that he and President 7%sh had obtained 15 billion dollars towards researchin& '#D0" 'll in all) his repl! was that he wo%ld wor on the problem" Edwards responded in the same wa!) with the onl! di$$erence bein& that he and :err! wo%ld re+%est do%ble the mone! $or researchin& a c%re $or '#D0" /e also spo e o$ his &oal $or health ins%rance $or more people" # did not hear a phrase that either o$ the candidates ept repeatin&" Their words remained (aried $or the d%ration o$ the debate" The closin& statements o$ both candidates were stron&) b%t # $elt that Edwards, was stron&er" /e started o%t with an anecdote that made his closin& statement more palatable" Chene!) on the other hand) remained $i-ed on his +%est to remain (ice president" #n the end) # $eel that Edwards dominated in this debate" .rom his stron& statements to his con$ident air) he has what it ta es to be 'merica,s ne-t (ice president"