Text Of Cheney-Lieberman Debate (cont.)

SHAW: And because of my boo-boo, I'm going to direct this question again to Secretary Cheney.

Have you noticed a contradiction or hypocritical shift by your opponent on positions and issues since he was nominated?

CHENEY: Well, we've been trying very hard to keep this on a high plane, Bernie.

(LAUGHTER)

LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Bernie.

(LAUGHTER)

CHENEY: I do have a couple of concerns, where I liked the old Joe Lieberman better than I do the new Joe Lieberman. Let me see if I can put it in those terms.

Joe established, I thought, an outstanding record in his work on this whole question of violence in the media and the kinds of materials that were being peddled to our children, and many of us on the Republican side admired him for that.

There is, I must say, the view now, that having joined with Al Gore on the ticket on the other side, that that depth of conviction that we had admired before isn't quite as strong as it was, perhaps, in the past. The temptation, on the one hand, to criticize the activities of the industry, as was pointed out recently in the Federal Trade Commission, where they're taking, clearly, material meant for adults and selling it to our children, at the same time they are participating in fund-raising events with some of the people responsible for that activity, has been a source of concern for many of us.

We were especially disturbed, Joe, at a recent fund-raiser you attended where there was a comedian who got up and criticized George Bush's religion. And I know you're not responsible for having uttered any words of criticism of his religion, but to some extent, my concern would be, frankly, that you haven't been as consistent as you had been in the past, that a lot of your good friends like Bill Bennett and others of us, who'd admired your firmness of purpose over the years, have felt that you're not quite the crusader for that cause that you once were.

LIEBERMAN: Well, Bernie, you'll not be surprised to hear that I disagree. First, let me talk about that joke about religion, which I found very distasteful. And, believe me, if anybody has devoted his life to respecting the role of religion in American life and understands that Americans from the beginning of our history have turned to God for strength and purpose, it's me.

And any offense that was done, I apologize for. And I thought that humor was unacceptable.

Let me come to the question of Hollywood and then answer the general question.

Al Gore and I have felt for a long time, first as parents, and then only second as public officials, that we cannot let America's parents stand alone in this competition that they feel they're in with Hollywood to raise their own kids and give their kids the faith and the values that they want to give them. And I've been a consistent crusader on that behalf.

John McCain and I actually requested the Federal Trade Commission report that came ou three or four weeks ago which proved conclusively that the entertainment industry was marketing adult-rated products to our children. Now that is just unacceptable. And one finding was that they were actually using 10 to 12-year-olds to test screen adult-rated products.

When that report came out, Al Gore and I said to the entertainment industry, "Stop it. And if you don't stop it in six months, we're going to ask the Federal Trade Commission to take action against you." There was no similar strong response from our opponents.

We repeated that message when we went to Los Angeles. I repeat it today. We will not stop until the entertainment industry stops marketing its products to our children.

Unfortunately, I'm running out of time, but let me just say that Al Gore and I…
SHAW: You're out.

LIEBERMAN: I'm out. Maybe I can come back to it.

SHAW: No, please continue. You have about 10 seconds, pardon the interruption.

LIEBERMAN: All right. Al Gore and I agree on most everything. We disagree on some things, and he said to me from the beginning, "Be yourself. That's why I chose you. Don't change a single position you have." And I have not changed a single position since Al Gore nominated me to be his vice president.

SHAW: Gentlemen, now closing statements. A prior coin toss has determined that you begin, Senator Lieberman.

LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Bernie. That went very quickly.

Thank you, Bernie, and thanks, Dick Cheney, for a very good debate.
I'm told that tens of millions of people have been watching this debate tonight. I must say that I wish one more person were here to watch it, and that's my dad, who died 15 years ago. If my dad were here, I would have the opportunity to tell him that he was right when he taught me that in America, if you have faith, work hard and play by the rules, there is nothing you cannot achieve. And here I am. Even the son of a man who started working the night shift on a bakery truck can end up being a candidate for vice president of the United States. That says a lot about the character of this nation and the goodness of you, the American people.

I will tell you that Hadassah and I have traveled around this country in the last couple of months and met thousands and thousands of parents just like our moms and dads: hardworking, middle-class people, paying their taxes, doing the jobs that keep the country running, trying so hard to teach their kids right from wrong, and believing in their hearts that their kids can make it.

And I agree with them.

But to make it, they need a leader who will stand up and fight for them, for good education, the best education in the world; for a sound retirement system; for prescription drug benefits for their parents; and for a government that is fiscally responsible, balances the budget, keeps interest rates down so that they can afford to buy a home or to send their kids to college. To me, Al Goe is that leader and will be that kind of president.

You know for 224 years, Americans have dreamed bigger dreams and tried bolder solutions than any other people on Earth. Now is not the time to settle for less than we can be. As good as things are today, Al Gore and I believe that with your help and God's help, we can make the future of this good and blessed country even better.

Thank you. God bless you and good night.

SHAW: Mr. Secretary?

CHENEY: Well, Bernie, I want to thank you and Joe as well. I've enjoyed the debate this evening. And I also want to thank the folks here at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. They've really done a tremendous job of making this possible.

This is a very important decision we're going to make on November 7. We really have a fundamental choice between whether or not we continue with our old ways of big government, high taxes, and ever more intrusive bureaucracy, or whether we take a new course for a new era. Governor Bush and I want to pursue that new course.

We want to reform the Social Security system to guarantee that benefits will be there for our retired folks, as well as make it possible for our young people to invest a portion of their payroll tax into their retirement account that they'll control and give them greater control over their own lives.

We want to reform the Medicare system again to make certain the benefits are there for our senior citizens, but it's also to provide prescription drug coverage for them and to give them a range of choices in terms of the kind of insurance they have.

We want to reform the education system. We want to restore our public schools to the greatness that they once represented, so that every parent has the opportunity to choose what's best for their child and so that every child has an opportunity to share in the American dream.

We also want to reform the tax code. We think it's very important, now that we have a surplus, that a portion of that surplus go back to the people who earned it. It's not the government's money, it's your money. You're entitled to it, and we'd like to see to it, that we provide tax relief for everybody who pays taxes.

Finally, we think it's very important to rebuild the U.S. military. The military is in trouble, the trends are in the wrong direction. They're the finest men and women in uniform that you'll find anyplace in the world, but they deserve our support, they deserve the resources that we need to provide for them, and they deserve good leadership.

George Bush is the man to do this. I've seen him do it in Texas. What we need is to be able to reach across the aisle, put together coalitions of Republicans and Democrats, and build the kinds of coalitions that'll get something done finally in Washington.

George Bush is a good man, an honorable man, a man of great integrity. He'll make a first-rate president.

SHAW: Secretary Cheney, Senator Lieberma, your debate now joins American political history. We thank you.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you, Bernie.

SHAW: Well, you hear the appreciation here. And our thanks also to Centre College, the community of Danville, and of course the Bluegrass State, Kentucky.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join my colleague, moderator Jim Lehrer, for the next presidential debate, next Wednesday night, at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

For the Commission on Presidential Debates, I'm Bernard Shaw. Good night from Danville, Kentucky.