The political actions of President George W. Bush and the Senate record of Sen. John Kerry have been debated and scrutinized intensely by the media in the last few months.

The records of their running mates, however, have not received nearly as much attention.

The records of Vice President Dick Cheney and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards show two very different candidates in terms of length of service in Washington D.C., politics.

Glenn Thompson, Centre Country Republicans chair, said a candidate's choice of running mate is obviously important.

"You want to have confidence in that person and you want them to have the character and experience to lead the country in case of an emergency prevented the president from doing his job," he said.

Cheney, 63, has been involved in Washington, D.C., since the Richard Nixon administration.

In 1969, he was the deputy White House counselor under Counselor Donald Rumsfeld and in 1975, he was the chief of staff for the Ford administration.

In 1989, he was former President George H. W. Bush's defense secretary and he has served as vice president since 2000.

"He brings a quiet confidence to the job and is a real problem-solver," Thompson said.

Cheney also represented Wyoming in Congress from 1978 to 1989.

Edwards, 51, became a senator in 1998, after 21 years as a trial lawyer.

Mary Jo Haverbeck, a volunteer for the Centre County Democrats, said she was fascinated with both candidates.

She added that both had qualities that would make for a good vice president.

"Edwards was always working with people who didn't have money and were in desperate situations," she said.

Haverbeck said Edwards reminds her of former President Bill Clinton because like the former president, he is an intelligent, young scholar who fights to make a difference.

Thompson said Edwards' experience as a trial lawyer wouldn't necessarily mean he could be a successful vice president.

"Edwards basically started to run for president right after he became a senator," Thompson said.

Thompson said Cheney is a better candidate, based on the assumption that an individual's past actions are an indicator of future performance.

"He has dedicated a large part of his life to public service where he could have gone somewhere else for more money," he said.

Although Thompson said the vice president is important for the president, he said it is less important with voters who make their decision largely based on the president.

American history professor William Pencak said a vice president's role has traditionally depended on the president because the only official duty of the vice president is presiding over the Senate and, when needed, casting tie-breaking votes.

He said the public has gradually seen the importance of the role of the vice president.

"President Bush has relied a lot on Cheney, and Clinton delegated a lot of responsibilities to Gore, particularly in dealing with the environment," Pencak said.