Cheney Takes Western Jaunt

Delivering a one-man rebuttal to the Democrats in Boston, Vice President Dick Cheney traveled through the West on Monday, promoting President Bush’s record in the war on terrorism and his tax cuts -- policies that Cheney said have made the nation safer and helped to turn around the economy.

At an appearance Monday afternoon in Kennewick, Wash., Cheney mentioned the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, by name only once -- assailing him and his Senate Democratic colleagues for “obstructionist tactics” blocking a number of Bush’s judicial nominees.

He cited a recent Democratic-led filibuster that blocked a confirmation vote on Bush’s nomination of William G. Myers III to the San Francisco-based U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals -- the same court, Cheney noted, that ruled that requiring the Pledge of Allegiance in schools was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion because of the words “under God.”

“Looks to me like the 9th Circuit could use some new judges,” Cheney told about 400 supporters gathered for a $250-per-plate fundraiser in Kennewick for Dino Rossi, a former state senator seeking to become the state’s first Republican governor since 1984.

Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, did not vote on Myers’ nomination. But Bush’s nomination of Myers, a lawyer for cattle and mining interests, was opposed by most Democrats, including California’s senators, as well as by environmental and civil rights groups that said he showed hostility to environmental protection.

Kerry’s name came up again Monday evening, when Cheney and his wife, Lynne, attended a fundraiser in Portland for two House candidates. Asked about rising medical malpractice costs, Cheney singled out Kerry and Edwards, a former trial lawyer, for opposing the administration’s tort reform plans.

Cheney heads to California today to meet with Marines at Camp Pendleton and attend fundraisers in Bakersfield for state Sen. Roy Ashburn, who is seeking a House seat, and in Riverside for Senate candidate Bill Jones, the former California secretary of state. Jones’ opponent is incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer.

Cheney’s appearance in a central Washington county that Bush won in 2000 by nearly 2 to 1 drew a standing ovation. In Portland, about 75 protesters stood outside the hotel where Cheney spoke, carrying signs reading “Invade Halliburton” and “Draft Cheney.”

A Bush campaign spokesman said that although the Democrats won Oregon and Washington state in the 2000 election, the Bush campaign considers the two states in play. Bush has visited Washington state just twice during his presidency. But Cheney plans to return to Oregon and Washington state Friday.

“We’re going to work even harder for your support this time around,” he told the Kennewick crowd. “And this year, Washington is going to be part of a nationwide victory for us.”

Cheney highlighted Bush’s record on national security, calling the threat to the United States from terrorists as great as the threat was from the Axis during World War II. He called this election one that would “shape the course of history maybe for the next 20, 30, 40 years.”

“The danger has not passed,” Cheney said. “The threat remains. And in the time ahead, we need the same steadfast presidential leadership that we have had over the last 3 1/2 years.”

The vice president also said Bush’s tax cuts have helped create jobs for 10 consecutive months. “The economy is strong and growing stronger,” he said.

In addition to his emphatic campaign rhetoric, Cheney displayed flashes of self-deprecating humor. During a question-and-answer session, he was asked about his health. The vice president, who has had four heart attacks, said that at his most recent checkup, “they certified me for another 30,000 miles.”

He also joked that people have told him that Kerry chose Edwards as his running mate because of his good looks, charm and great hair.

“I said, ‘How do you think I got this job?’ ” Cheney said.