Vice President Dick Cheney will make his remarks in Cape Girardeau at about 2:15 p.m. Thursday, and will likely touch on President Bush's priorities, including homeland security, strengthening the economy and the need to shift the U.S. Senate back to Republican control.

"Those are the topics he's been talking about," said Jennifer Millerwise, a spokeswoman for the vice president. "He sticks to the president's message."

The rest of the vice president's itinerary hasn't been nailed down, but Millerwise said Cheney's speech at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport will likely last about 15 to 20 minutes. She said Cheney has another engagement later in the day in another state. She did not know when Cheney's plane would land or how long he would be in Cape Girardeau.

Cheney's main purpose is to show support for Jim Talent, a Republican who is running against Jean Carnahan for one of Missouri's U.S. Senate seats.

The vice president will be accompanied by his wife, Lynne, along with Talent, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond and Republican state legislators.

Tom Schulte, a field representative for the state Republican Party, said that the 1,000 tickets the White House issued are "going out fast. But we're taking care of the folks who come in."

Tickets for the event can be obtained for free by contacting the local Republican headquarters at 285 S. Plaza Way or by calling 335-3358.

Schulte said that if they run out of those tickets, they'll request more from the White House. The White House initially only issues a certain number of tickets for security reasons, he said.

Intense security

The doors to the event will open at noon, and Schulte cautioned that people should arrive at least by then.

"There's going to be intense security," Schulte said. "It will take some time."

He also advised those who are interested in attending to travel light.

"Don't carry metal in and the less you carry in, the better off you are," Schulte said.

Cheney was last in Cape Girardeau as a vice presidential candidate in 2000. That trip was also limited to a speech at the airport.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137