VP plays QB at GOP rally, Confronted by Protestor: "What is our moral justification? What is our right to attack another country?"
By Peggy Lowe, Rocky Mountain News
November 2, 2002
Republicans rallied Friday night as if they were out to win the state championship football game, kicking off a massive get-out-the-vote effort before Election Day.
Vice President Dick Cheney appeared as the quarterback, cheered on by 1,500 GOP faithful waving red-white-and-blue pompons. Cheney's pregame introduction was set to rock 'n' roll and a booming announcer.
"Playing vice president and wearing No. 2, from Wyoming, the vice commander in chief!" yelled announcer Jonathan Wilde of KYGO.
Cheney reminded the audience again and again that they must help Republicans control both the House and Senate by electing U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard and Bob Beauprez, a candidate for the newly created 7th Congressional District.
Starting this morning, the GOP will have 2,000 people out knocking on doors as part of the 96-Hour Task Force, the most ambitious get-out-the-vote effort in state history, said Bruce Benson, the state party's chair. Activating people could mean a 2- to 4-percent difference in vote totals, he said.
More than 700 people showed up at the Marriott Denver Tech Center on Friday night to go through an orientation on walking precincts. Others had to be turned away from the rally as the hotel ballroom quickly filled with people wanting to see Cheney.
Peggy Brennan, 48, a Centennial Republican, came early to get a front-row seat for the Cheney speech. She said she's working for all the Colorado candidates.
"I do it because I support their ethical platform," Brennan said. "I'm in line with their First Amendment, Second Amendment, anti-abortion standpoint."
Cheney worked the crowd on President Bush's economic plan, saying Colorado residents have kept $21 billion thanks to the Bush tax cuts. He also stressed the need for homeland security and again tied Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to international terrorists.
Cheney was briefly interrupted by an anti-war protester, 65-year-old Dan Winters of Boulder, who held up a sign and yelled, "What about the children in Iraq?"
Winters was quickly quieted by security officers and hustled out of the hall. The crowd reacted to the protester, drowning out Cheney's speech with chants of "USA! USA!USA!"
Cheney said America will lead a coalition to hunt down terrorists. "The only path to safety is the path of action," he said.
Saddam Hussein is pressing forward with weapons of mass destruction and the U.S. government "will not look the other way," Cheney said.
"Either Saddam Hussein will give up his weapons of mass destruction or, for the sake of peace, the United States will disarm him," Cheney said.
But Winters, a member of the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, said he doesn't believe Cheney has made a case for attacking Iraq.
"What is our moral justification? What is our right to attack another country?" he said.
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.