COLUMBUS-Vice President Dick Cheney attended a rally Monday in support of Mississippi’s republican gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour at the Mississippi University for Women.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Haley Barbour is on his way to a victory,” Cheney said, referring to Tuesday’s statewide election.
Cheney, whose plane was delayed, arrived almost 30 minutes late to the event flanked by security. After a brief introduction by Barbour, Cheney took the podium.
Cheney said it was always nice to be able to get out of Washington, D.C., and “into the real world.” He also mentioned that with the upcoming national election next year he felt that he could count on the state of Mississippi to support the president.
Cheney said the state was facing an important election in the next few days.
“Republicans and Democrats agree that Mississippi can do better,” he said. “We need more people like Haley in public life, because he tells it like it is.”
Cheney also said that with the current administration working to improve the nation’s economy, it was crucial to obtain help from the state levels, especially the governor.
Cheney said that Mississippi, along with the rest of the nation, has seen an abundance of lawsuit abuses.
“There’s one good way to end lawsuit abuse in Mississippi, and that’s by putting Haley Barbour in the governor’s office,” Cheney said.
Other topics Cheney discussed included the president’s war on terror, education reform, the president’s energy bill and the troops overseas in Iraq.
Cheney summed up his speech saying that he felt there was not a better candidate for any state office in the nation than Barbour.
Prior to Cheney’s entrance, Barbour spoke about his history with the vice president.
“Dick Cheney and I have been friends since the Ford White House,” Barbour said. “And I’ve been privileged to work with him many times while he was White House chief of staff.”
Barbour said that Cheney, like himself, is committed to preserving the state’s military bases, including the Air Force base in Columbus. Mississippi’s military bases have employed over 36,000 people and generated an annual direct payroll of $1.2 billion.
Jeffrey Rupp, mayor of Columbus, opened the ceremony saying he was thrilled to see such a large attendance and thanking the distinguished guests for visiting the MUW and Columbus.
Other prominent politicians who also attended the event supporting Barbour’s governor’s bid were Reps. Chip Pickering (R-Hebron) and Roger Wicker (D-Tupelo), who both spoke at the rally, and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck.
Wicker said that the hundreds of people who attended the rally were all there to help elect a state governor.
“I believe that governor is going to be Haley Barbour,” Wicker said.
Pickering said that Barbour has been a helper all of his life, and that next week it was the people’s turn to help him out.
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