Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife will be in Colorado Thursday evening to watch the presidential debate.

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He will be at a "watch party" being held at the Denver Marriott City Center in downtown Denver. He will arrive at Buckley Air Force Base around 4:30 p.m. His motorcade is expected to make its way from Aurora to Denver during the afternoon commute, so drivers can expect a lot of traffic delays.

The vice president is expected to speak before Thursday's debate, the first of several scheduled debates between President George W. Bush and Democrat Sen. John Kerry.

It's a debate that could have an impact on voters at the polls. A Los Angeles Times poll finds that nearly one-fifth of likely voters say the debates could affect their decision on Election Day.

Foreign affairs and homeland security are expected to take center stage.

At a rally in Minnesota on Wednesday, Cheney said the United States is the dominant power in the world, and America can't retreat and pretend terrorists won't strike the nation again. He offered an unwavering defense of the war in Iraq and the campaign against terrorism.

Cheney and Sen. John Edwards will meet Tuesday at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland for their only debate before the Nov. 2 election.

Cheney will head to his home in Jackson, Wyo., on Friday to spend the weekend fishing and sparring with Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who will play Edwards during mock debates. The vice president will arrive in Cleveland on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Edwards will spend the weekend at a 130-year-old arts and education retreat in Chautauqua, N.Y., where he will be coached by Washington lawyer Robert Barnett. Four years ago, Barnett played Cheney during debate preparations for vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman.

Edwards will leave the retreat, about 70 miles southwest of Buffalo, for Cleveland on Monday.

The second presidential debate is set for next Friday in St. Louis. Kerry will be in Colorado sometime next week to prepare for that debate. Not many details have been released, but his camp said Kerry will be in Arapahoe County in the days leading up to the Oct. 8 debate.

Watch 7NEWS at 7 p.m. for live coverage of the debates.