Home > Cheney unleashes attack on Kerry
US Vice-President Dick Cheney is taking centre stage at the Republican convention in New York, with an attack on Democratic candidate John Kerry.
Mr Cheney’s speech to delegates in New York contrasts President Bush’s "decisiveness" to Mr Kerry’s "confusion", a Cheney spokeswoman said.
The speech comes on the third day of a convention marred by street protests.
On Wednesday thousands of people staged a peaceful demonstration blaming Mr Bush’s policies for job losses.
A three-mile (5-km) "unemployment line" snaked through New York, with protestors holding up leaflet reading "The next pink slip could be yours" - a reference to the paper notices given to those who are laid off.
"Never in America’s history since the Great Depression has there been such a consecutive loss of jobs as we’re seen in the last four years," one protestor told Reuters news agency.
The orderly protest was in sharp contrast to clashes between anti-Bush activists and police in recent days, which led to many arrests.
Disruption
The vice-president told the convention that John Kerry "doesn’t appear to understand how the world has changed.
"He talks about leading a ’more sensitive war on terror,’ as though al-Qaeda will be impressed with our softer side," said Mr Cheney.
He added that military force should be used, if necessary to prevent further attacks on the US.
Other speakers on Wednesday night included Michael Reagan - son of the late President Ronald Reagan - as well as southern Democratic Conservative Zell Miller, and Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.
Mr Miller derided the Democratic candidate, saying Mr Kerry would be weak on defence.
"Senator Kerry has made it clear that he would use military force only if approved by the United Nations," said Mr Miller.
"Kerry would let Paris decide when America needs defending. I want Bush to decide," he said.
Mr Bush and leading Republicans have accused Mr Kerry of inconsistency over Iraq.
The Massachusetts senator voted in favour of an invasion in 2002, but later sharply criticised the conduct of the war.
Mr Kerry repeated his attacks on Mr Bush as a war leader on Wednesday.
He told fellow veterans in Tennessee that in Iraq, he "would have done everything differently".
Earlier demonstrators disrupted a Republican youth meeting in Madison Square Garden.
A speech by White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was briefly interrupted when about 10 Aids activists blew whistles and chanted "Bush kills".
Police moved to remove the protesters.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested in convention-related demonstrations in the past week.