Cheney offers to bet on congressional Republicans By Thomas Ferraro
Sun Sep 10, 3:06 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney said on Sunday he expects fellow Republicans to rally and keep control of Congress in the November 7 election -- and offered to bet on it.
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Although polls show unhappy voters may turn over the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the Senate to Democrats, Cheney said: "I think we're doing very well out there."
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Cheney told moderator Tim Russert, "I'll even bet you a dinner that we hold both houses."
"I don't bet," replied Russert.
Cheney was questioned about the election, which will determine whether President George W. Bush will still have a Congress controlled by his fellow Republicans during his final two years in office.
Cheney said the administration does not fear that it would face tougher congressional scrutiny of the Iraq war and other matters if Democrats win control of the House or Senate.
"We have had oversight all along," said Cheney, rejecting Democratic complaints that Republicans have failed to hold the administration accountable.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Republicans intend to spend the vast majority of their financial war chest in the next two months on negative ads.
"I hope our guys have good hard-hitting advertisements," Cheney said when asked about the report. "Certainly the opposition does."
"Just think about what's at stake in this election in terms of national security and the global war on terror," Cheney said.
Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to scare the public into voting to keep them in charge of Congress, and say Democrats could better protect America.
"They (Republicans) think they can't win the elections unless they talk about terrorism all the time," Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean told "Fox News Sunday."
"We think we ought to talk about a new direction for the country," said Dean, whose party's campaign platform includes upgrading health care and education while also increasing anti-terrorism efforts.
Sen. John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat whom Bush defeated in the 2004 presidential election, said Republicans have no advantage on national security.
"They've been incompetent," Kerry told CNN's "Late Edition." "... We can do better." |
