 Vice President Dick Cheney and John Edwards. (Photo: Cheney: Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., Edwards: Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc./Dave Scull) |
The 90-minute debate in Cleveland, Ohio, will be hosted by PBS senior correspondent Gwen Ifill. She will ask 16 questions about foreign and domestic issues. Cheney won a coin toss and will answer the first question of the night.
The vice-presidential candidates will argue that their running mates are better suited to be President. Cheney's aides and advisers say he will argue that President Bush is a devoted leader and that Kerry is indecisive. Edwards's team says its candidate, a former trial lawyer, will aim to convince voters that Bush failed to make the nation safer.
Edwards and Cheney have been busy preparing for the debate, which starts at 9 p.m. EST. This will be the first one-on-one televised debate of Edwards's career. He is practicing for the contest in upstate New York with attorneys Bob Barnett and Andy Pincus playing the roles of Cheney and Ifill.
Cheney practiced in his Jackson, Wyoming, home. Republican Rob Portman has been acting as Edwards since mid-August. Portman played vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman in 2000.
Unlike last week's presidential debate, where both candidates stood behind podiums, Cheney and Bush will sit at a table. Both Democratic and Republican experts say that the format will benefit Cheney. Many believe that the Vice President appears stronger in conversational settings, rather than behind a podium. Edwards preferred a podium or town-hall format so he could use his stage skills.
This is the only chance for Cheney and Edwards to square off, but Bush and Kerry will be back to debating on Friday in St. Louis, Missouri, in a town-hall format. The town-hall debate will have undecided voters from the audience ask the questions. The presidential candidates will discuss economic and domestic issues in their final debate, which is scheduled for October 13 in Tempe, Arizona.
