| by Allen L.
Roland
OpEdNews.com
Last
night millions of Americans saw up
close the power behind
the throne ~ the man who runs and
directs the White House ~ the man
who Bush answers to and yes, the OZ
behind the curtain of deception that
has permeated this administration
for four years.
It
was a classic confrontation between
fear & pessimism
and
hope & optimism ~ and they
both had their weapons.
Edwards
led off with a haymaker and Cheney
never fully recovered ;
"
Mr Vice President ~ your still not
being straight with the American
people . "
It
was Ali against Liston and Edwards
moved fast and stung like a bee ;
"
A long resume does not equal good
judgement "
"The
vice president, I'm surprised to
hear him talk about records. When he was
one of 435 members of the United
States House, he was one of 10 to
vote against
Head Start, one of four to vote
against banning plastic weapons that
can
pass through metal detectors. He
voted against the Department of Education.
He voted against funding for Meals
on Wheels for seniors. He voted
against a holiday for Martin Luther
King. He voted against a resolution
calling for the release of Nelson
Mandela in South Africa. It's amazing
to hear him criticize either my
record or John Kerry's."
And
then the knockout blow ;
"
Mr Vice President , I don't think
the American people can take four
more years of your administration
."
Cheney
was the embodiment of grimness
growling out his cold statistics
like the Godfather that he is ~ but
without a trace of warmth and
compassion.
This
is reflected in the first post
debate poll results from Salon.com
Quick
survey by CBS looks good for Edwards
CBS "instapoll"
results, from 200 undecided voters
nationwide:
"Who
won?"
Edwards: 42
percent
Cheney: 29 percent
tie: 29 percent
"Debate
improved your opinion of the
candidate?"
Cheney: 29
percent, opinion improved
Edwards: 58
percent, opinion improved
And
perhaps the most telling statistic
of the quick survey, in light of
moderator Gwen Ifill's question to
Edwards regarding his qualifications
to be within a "heartbeat"
of the top job: 24 percent of the
undecided voters polled by CBS
apparently said that they were
"scared" of the idea of
Dick Cheney as president.
And that
is the heart of this
Administrations problem ~ it has
no heart !
As
Stephen Dinan writes, " what
happens when raw power is
unconnected to heart? What
happens with the statistics-driven
mind is divorced from compassion? Do
we begin to perpetuate exactly the
dark view of humanity that we are
seeking to destroy? "
And
therein lies our choice, Americans ~
Is it going to be four more years of the
Bush/Cheney politics of deception,
darkness and fear or a fresh new
spirit of heartfelt compassion,
honesty and optimism with Kerry and Edwards.
Edwards
brought heart and compassion back
into this election with his
performance last night and
neither Cheney or Bush can compete
on that stage.
Allen
L Roland
Allen
Roland is a practicing
psychotherapist who also shares a
daily political and social
commentary on his weblog and website
www.allenroland.com
He
also guest hosts a weekly national
radio show on
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