Cheney blasts Edwards' attendance record

CLEVELAND, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Vice President Dick Cheney blasted Sen. John Edwards Tuesday night, calling his attendance record the worst in the Senate.

"Your hometown newspaper is calling you 'Senator Gone,'" Cheney said during the vice presidential debate in Cleveland.

Cheney told Edwards although he is usually on the floor every Tuesday, the debate marked the first time Chaney has met the Democratic candidate.

"The first time I have ever met you was when I stepped on the stage tonight," said Cheney.

Edwards claimed Cheney's remarks were "a complete distortion" of his record, citing Cheney's own voting record against education, the Meals on Wheels program, a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, and the release of Nelson Mandela.