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Cheney's remarks last night were riddled with inaccuracies – more than we can describe here. But we've listed a few of the biggest whoppers below.


 CHENEY'S MISLEAD: “I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11”



THE
TRUTH: As the Washington Post reports today, Cheney has repeatedly
insinuated and “strongly suggested” that Saddam Hussein was behind the
attacks on September 11th. [2] And in its fact check column today, the
Boston Globe says “Cheney has consistently asserted strong prewar links
between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, even after the 9/11 Commission
definitively concluded that there had not been a collaborative
relationship between the two. In a radio interview in January 2004,
Cheney said: 'I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a
connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.'” [3]



On
December 9, 2001, Cheney went on “Meet the Press” to perpetuate the now
entirely debunked theory that one of the 9/11 hijackers met with an
Iraqi official. [4] He went back on a year ago to describe Iraq as part
of “”the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under
assault for many years, but most especially on 9/11.” [5]



Most
recently, Cheney has claimed that Iraq harbored the terrorist Abu Musab
al Zarqawi, and said Zarqawi “is an al Qaeda associate who took refuge
in Baghdad, found sanctuary and safe harbor there before we ever
launched into Iraq.” [6] But yesterday, a report Cheney himself
requested found that there is no conclusive evidence to support that
claim. An administration official said, “The evidence is that Saddam
never gave Zarqawi anything.” [7]



CHENEY'S
MISLEAD: “900,000 small businesses will be hit” by the Kerry-Edwards
plan to roll back tax cuts for people in the top income bracket.



THE
TRUTH: As the Washington Post writes this morning: “This is misleading.
Under Cheney's definition, a small business is any taxpayer who
includes some income from a small business investment, partnership,
limited liability corporation or trust. By that definition, every
partner at a huge accounting firm or at the largest law firm would
represent small businesses. According to IRS data, a tiny fraction of
small business “S-corporations” earn enough profits to be in the top
two tax brackets. Most are in the bottom two brackets.” [8]



CHENEY'S MISLEAD: “We have added 1.7 million jobs to the economy.”



THE
TRUTH: On November 2nd, George Bush will be the first pResident in 70
years to lose jobs. There will be about a million fewer jobs than there
were when Bush took office – and about 7 million fewer than Bush's own
post-9/11 estimate. Cheney's using fuzzy math: 1.7 million jobs have
been added, but millions more have been lost. [9]



CHENEY'S MISLEAD: “The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight.”



THE
TRUTH: This one-liner was one of Cheney's best zingers of the night,
but even it isn't true: Cheney and Edwards have met in public at least
twice. They met when Edwards escorted Elizabeth Dole to be sworn in by
Cheney as Senator and at the National Prayer Breakfast. At the
Breakfast, he even called Edwards out by name, starting his remarks
with the words, “Thank you very much. Congressman Watts, Senator
Edwards, friends from across America and distinguished visitors to our
country from all over the world, Lynne and I are honored to be with you
all this morning.” [10] You can actually watch video of the two of them
shaking hands at www.democrats.org.



If
Cheney's willing to flat-out lie about whether or not he's met John
Edwards – a rather objective question – it's clear he won't be
straight with the American people on more important issues.



When
John Kerry won the first presidential debate, MoveOn members wrote tens
of thousands of letters to the editors of the nation's newspapers. The
letters served a critical role, solidifying the perception that Kerry
was the clear winner and Bush was on defense. The post-debate
conversation is just as important today, when it will shape the media's
run up to the second Presidential debate Friday.



Can you
take a few minutes to debunk one of the misleads above in a letter to
the editor? Our tool makes it easy to find a newspaper in your
area and send in your thoughts.



Click here to use the letter-writing tool.





As
Edwards mentioned last night, Cheney's record is pretty scary: “When he
was one of 435 members of the United States House, he was one of 10 to
vote against Head Start, one of four to vote against banning plastic
weapons that can pass through metal detectors. He voted against the
Department of Education. He voted against funding for Meals on Wheels
for seniors. He voted against a holiday for Martin Luther King. He
voted against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela in
South Africa.”

Let's make sure we vote him out on November 2nd.