10-6-04 - CLEVELAND (AP) Last night's sparring match between Vice
President Cheney and Democratic rival John Edwards was marked by charges and counter charges on war and peace.

Edwards accused the incumbent of misleading Americans on the Iraq war. Cheney told the challenger that Iraq is part of the global war on terror.

Post-debate polls include some encouragement for both sides. An ABC News survey of debate watchers suggests the vice president won. A CBS poll of undecided voters says Edwards took the laurels.

There has been some fallout over a comment made by Cheney: “have we met before?”

Vice President Cheney didn't think so, but he was wrong.

As he portrayed John Edwards last night as someone who missed a lot of Senate votes, Cheney said the debate marked the first time he and Edwards had met. It turns out, that wasn't exactly true.

Cheney had thanked Edwards by name at a Senate prayer breakfast in February of 2001. Two months later, according to "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert, they shook hands when they met off camera during a taping of the show. And aides to Edwards say they met again in January of last year at the swearing-in of Elizabeth Dole as a North Carolina senator.

Edwards noted the discrepancy at a post-debate rally in a Cleveland park. He called it an example of Cheney's "still not being straight with the American people."