Dick Cheney and John Edwards, opponents in the vice presidential race, kicked off another round of campaign visits to Iowa last week, leading up to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Monday.

Stops this week by President Bush to Cedar Rapids on Tuesday and John Kerry in Sioux City on Saturday have helped to solidify Iowa’s status as an important battleground state.

Besides Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are also areas of major focus for the candidates.

At a Friday rally in Waterloo, Cheney sharply criticized Edwards and Kerry as being weak on the war on terror and supportive of higher taxes.

Cheney defended the Bush administration’s policies, saying controversial tax breaks have benefited more than a million Iowa taxpayers, and created an average savings of $1,500 per person.

Since Sept. 11, Cheney said Bush has led a “relentless campaign” against terror, something he said Kerry couldn’t do as president. He cited Kerry’s and Edwards’ voting records as a signal that they weren’t up to the challenge of maintaining national security.

“These are not times for leaders who shift on a whim,” he said. ” We need a leader who will back our troops 100 percent, and that’s what we have with George W. Bush.”

He said while Kerry and Edwards voted for the use of force, they were in a minority of senators that voted against $86.5 billion to provide funding for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill, S.1689, passed with a vote of 87-12.

“Funding American troops in combat should not be a complicated choice,” he said.

Many attendees agreed with Cheney on the importance of the war on terror.

Erl Schmiesing, of Waterloo, said he thought the only thing that mattered in the election was how well the war on terror went.

“We continue to talk about terror. It’s the only thing that matters,” Schmiesing said. “Bush-Cheney is the leadership we need. I can’t imagine Kerry taking a stand,” he said.

On Wednesday, Edwards attacked the Bush administration in a speech in Des Moines with blunted criticisms concerning economic policies he believed helped the rich and did little for the middle class.

Reflecting back to his primary campaign, Edwards spoke about “two Americas” — one America for the rich and another one for everyone else.

He said economic policies of the Bush administration had encouraged the two Americas and that Kerry would help eliminate the disparity.

“We’re going to do something about that,” he said. “[We want] one America, strong and hard.”

Both Edwards and Cheney are seen by their respective parties as being effective tools at drumming up support for their parties; however, the difference between the oration styles of the two is apparent.

“Cheney is a very precise speaker, he’s very solemn,” said Ray Dearin, professor of English and political science. “Edwards is viewed as an energetic, lively communicator.”

Dearin said Cheney is not known to mince words, which can lead to the view that he’s blunt or boring. Edwards, he said, is also a person who is plain-spoken, but he’s usually saying things with a smile. However, he said the critical nature of what Edwards says is still intact.

Robert Lowry, associate professor of political science, said it was important to also look at whom Cheney and Edwards are speaking to.

Edwards, Lowry said, appeals to more of the moderate and swing voters around the country, while Cheney appeals to many of the hardened Republican activists.

“He’s talking to the people already on his side,” he said.

Iowa represents one of three key Midwestern battleground states in the fall election.

Federal candidates have already made numerous visits to Iowa, as well as to Minnesota and Wisconsin, hoping to win over voters in the three states.

A recent survey by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute showed a tossup between the two platforms in Minnesota and Wisconsin, with Kerry leading in Iowa.