Cheney stumps in Idaho
Vice President Dick Cheney criticized those calling for a change in the Iraq war and warned about 2,000 people gathered Thursday at the Coeur d’Alene Airport that taxes will increase dramatically if Democrats win control of Congress.
“There are lots of Democrats and independents in Idaho who do not have much in common with Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi,” Cheney told supporters gathered in an airplane hangar for the rally.
The vice president, who spoke for about half an hour, was joined on the podium by numerous Idaho Republicans and candidates, including congressional hopeful Bill Sali and U.S. Rep. Butch Otter, who is running for governor.
Otter is locked in a tight race with Democrat Jerry Brady, while Democratic business executive Larry Grant appears to be within striking distance of Sali, an eight-term state representative, in the 1st Congressional District race.
As he and President Bush have done in recent days, Cheney continued to pummel Democratic leaders and Kerry for remarks the Massachusetts senator made this week about Bush and the war.
“Of course, he was their presidential nominee just two years ago; the titular head of the Democratic Party,” Cheney said of Kerry. “Aren’t we lucky that he lost that election?”
The crowd of Republican supporters roared in agreement.
Kerry was regrouping a day after apologizing to service members for remarks that many interpreted as an insult to U.S. forces in Iraq. Kerry has characterized the remarks as the result of a botched joke.
The vice president commended the crowd for its support and urged them to help get out the vote in the final days of the election.
“What are you guys doing for the next four days?” he asked.
Cheney drew many cheers from the crowd, which seemed hesitant to make noise during the speech until he encouraged them. A murmur of boos swept through the crowd when Cheney spoke of how many Democrats voted against the Bush tax cuts. At his urging, that murmur quickly turned to a chorus of boos.
“Don’t hold back,” he said. “It’s all right.”
Cheney said the Democrats have a history of raising taxes and will do so again if they get control of Congress this month.
“We need to make the Bush tax cut permanent and we will do that with a new Republican Congress,” he said.
Cheney criticized Democrats for having a variety of views on what to do in Iraq – all that involve changing strategies.
“All these proposals have a common theme: They would have America leave Iraq before the job is done,” he said. “If we left before the job was done, we would simply validate the al-Qaida strategy that if they kill enough Americans, they can change American policy.”
He said that strategy developed because terrorist attacks on the U.S. in the 1990s were largely ignored.
“Over time the terrorists concluded that they can strike Americans without paying a price, because they did repeatedly,” Cheney said. Fighting an offensive war on terrorism has made Americans safer and is the most important priority for the country, he said.
“The war on terror is a battle for the future of civilization,” Cheney said. “It’s a battle worth fighting, and it’s a battle we’re going to win.”
After his speech, Cheney stepped down to shake hands with supporters for about 10 minutes.
J.T. Day traveled from his home north of Bonners Ferry for the rally with a large poster of U.S troops holding a banner that reads “HALP US JON CARRY – WE R STUCK HEAR IN IRAK.” Cheney, his wife, Lynne, and Republican candidates all signed the poster for Day.
Day praised Cheney’s speech, commending the vice president’s intellect and his humor.
“He’ll go down in history as one of the great vice presidents,” he said.
Arram Hatfield, a senior at the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, said after the speech, “He’s a whole lot cooler in person. … It was well worth standing there for three hours.”
Cheney arrived aboard Air Force Two at the airport where many Republican faithful had showed up hours early to see the vice president. Thursday’s stop was billed as a “victory rally” to energize Republican voters in the days before Tuesday’s general election.
A recent poll in Idaho showed surprising strength by Democrats.
But Cheney would have none of that.
Noting he was in friendly territory and that Idaho supported the Bush-Cheney ticket by 68 percent in 2004, the vice president predicted a red-state victory.
“We’re going to see a clean Republican sweep in Idaho next Tuesday,” he said.