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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 31, 2004 Vice President Dick Cheney jokes with the crowd gathered Friday at the Jackson County Expo in Central Point. Cheney stopped in the Rogue Valley as part of a West Coast campaign to bolster President Bush�s reelection chances in Oregon. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Dick Cheney comes to town Vice president tells Expo crowd that he expects Oregon voters to support the GOP By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Vice President Dick Cheney leaned forward on the podium to look at the crowd gathered late Friday afternoon in Compton Arena. "Southern Oregon looks like Bush-Cheney country," he observed, causing thunderous applause to fill the massive building. Reminiscent of an old-fashioned political rally, the crowd Republican organizers said numbered about 3,000 people roared its approval while waving a sea of red flags and red Bush-Cheney signs in the sweltering building. Before Cheney was introduced, local candidates and political leaders spoke, including Alan Simpson, a former Republican senator from Wyoming and longtime friend of Cheney’s. Although entrance to the event required tickets handed out by the GOP, not everyone was there to cheer Cheney. Advertisement "Lies, lies!" yelled one woman who was quickly escorted out. Cheney supporters began chanting, "Four more years!" Another man with his mouth taped shut sat near the podium wearing a shirt that said, "F——K Bush Cheney." Cheney didn’t acknowledge the two. Instead, he stayed on message. "This election could not come at a more crucial time in our history," he said. "Today we face an enemy every bit as intent on destroying us as were the Axis powers in World War II or the Soviet Union during the Cold War." Citing the 9/11 Commission report released last week, he said the enemy is sophisticated, patient and disciplined. "What the enemy wants, the 9/11 report explains, is to do away with democracy, to end all rights for women and to impose their way of life on the rest of us," he said. " ... This is, to put it quite simply, an enemy we must vanquish," he added. "With President Bush as our commander in chief, that’s exactly what we’re going to do." The crowd let loose another round of applause. When Cheney mentioned the Democratic National Convention in Boston early in his 20-minute speech, boos filled the building. "People keep telling me that Senator Edwards got picked for his good looks, his charm, his great hair," Cheney said. "I say to them, ‘How do think I got the job?’ " "You’re better looking!" yelled one man in the rear of the crowd. But the joking stopped when he launched his campaign speech. Oregon is a key state in the 2004 election, he stressed. Cheney claimed a list of accomplishments during the Bush administration, including removing the Taliban from power in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. "Saddam once controlled the lives and future of 25 million people," he said. "Today he’s in jail." He said creating a democracy in those two countries will be a major setback for international terror. "Because we’ve been strong and resolute, these nations will never go back to the fear of tyranny and terror," he said. "And America will never go back to the false comforts of the world before 9/11." The very perception of strength will deter terrorists, he said. "We will engage the enemy, facing him with our military force in Afghanistan and Iraq today so we do not have to face him with armies of firefighters and police and medical personnel in the streets of our own cities," he said. Later, referring to countries which opposed the war in Iraq, he added, "President Bush will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of this nation." Cheney, who isn’t a veteran, made a point of thanking those now serving in the military. "Our nation is extremely fortunate during this time of testing to have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform," he said, noting they represent the best the country has to offer. While he said the administration has supported the military, he said Sen. John Kerry and his running mate Sen. John Edwards have not. Although both supported authorizing the use of force, they voted against an $87 billion bill to provide military materials for the war, he said. He portrayed Bush as a strong leader who has improved the economy, increased jobs, cut taxes, improved education in public schools, passed needed Medicare reform to help make prescription drugs affordable to more seniors, pushed through the Healthy Forest Act for federal forest lands and created the Department of Homeland Security. "Under the present leadership, every American can be certain we are doing everything in our power to defend against a terrorist attack on our own land," he said to more cheers. During the next four years, the Bush administration would push a "pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda," Cheney promised, noting that would include taking action to end abusive lawsuits, reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil and continue to reject partial-birth abortion. When he predicted the majority of Oregonians will side with Bush-Cheney come November, the applause was ear-splitting. "The president and I are proud to count many Republicans, Democrats and independents from all across Oregon among our supporters," he said. "You are going to hear a lot from us in the next few months." The vice-president is scheduled to campaign in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico today. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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