Civil debate for Cheney, Lieberman

If Tuesday's debate between the two leading presidential contenders was a battle of fiery campaign rhetoric, then last night's clash between the Democratic and Republican vice-presidential candidates was a lesson in politeness. In a packed auditorium at Centre College in Danville, Ky., Democratic nominee Joe Lieberman and Republican Dick Cheney engaged in a 1 1/2-hour-long debate on issues ranging from military readiness to tax relief to the fate of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. And while neither candidate hesitated to point out differences in opinion, the exchange never took on even a mildly hostile tone. Sitting just feet apart at a small table -- separated only by moderator and CNN anchorman Bernard Shaw -- Cheney and Lieberman began the discussion by addressing education and tax cuts. "Under the Bush plan, anyone who pays taxes will get some form of tax relief," Cheney said. Lieberman responded with a detailed description of the Gore fiscal plan, adding, "We're focusing our tax credits on the middle class where they say we really need it." With Lieberman launching into a confusing rundown of percentages and tax allocations, Cheney jumped on the Connecticut senator for his misleading, numbers-based delivery. "Bernie, you have to be a CPA to understand what he just said," Cheney said. "It's a classic example of a tax program that tries to drive people to live a certain way." But that's as mean as it got all night. Even through clear disagreements over the state of the military and the legacy of the Clinton administration, both of the candidates maintained an unusual level of decorum -- even taking time to joke casually. In discussing the strong economy, Lieberman brought up the lucrative separation package his opponent received when he left his oil service company to join the GOP ticket. "I am pleased to see from the newspapers that you're better off than you were eight years ago too," Lieberman said. "And I can tell you, Joe," Cheney responded, "that the government had nothing to do with it." As the audience launched into uncharacteristic laughter, Lieberman said that his wife had wanted him to join the private sector. "Well, I'm going to try to help you do that, Joe," Cheney quickly replied. Following those brief moments of levity, the candidates continued to discuss a multitude of issues with Shaw, frequently requesting that he invoke his moderator's privilege to allow them to continue discussion past the two-minute limit. Among other themes, the pair touched on the hot-button topic of abortion, specifically focusing on the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the abortion drug RU-486. Cheney remarked that while both he and running mate George W. Bush were solidly pro-life, they were focusing on "reaching across the [political] divide to reduce abortions." Lieberman's response reflected a very direct Democratic party stance. "Al Gore and I will respect a woman's right to choose," he said. "And our opponents will not."