No joke. The vice-president said today that America will "be hit” by terrorists if voters choose John Kerry over George W. Bush. Here’s the direct quote:

"It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States.”

John Edwards responded with the following statement:

“Dick Cheney's scare tactics crossed the line today, showing once again that he and George Bush will do anything and say anything to save their jobs. Protecting America from vicious terrorists is not a Democratic or Republican issue, it's an American issue and Dick Cheney and George Bush should know that.

“John Kerry and I will keep America safe, and we will not divide the American people to do it.”

Cheney’s attempt to scare the American public into voting for his ticket will go down in history as one of the most despicable moments in presidential campaign history.