U.S. President George W. Bush addressed the ongoing Republican National Convention via satellite Tuesday night, touting Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's profile.
Bush's brief speech, made in the White House, focused on two qualities of McCain -- his strong credentials on national security and his independent streak.
He said the Arizona senator's service as a naval officer and a politician has prepared him to make the kinds of decisions that only a president can make.
Former Senator Fred Thompson speaks as a picture of Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his wife Cindy is displayed behind him on a big screen at the 2008 Republican National Convention in St Paul, Minnesota September 2, 2008. "We live in a dangerous world," Bush said. "We need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offence, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain."
Saying McCain is "an independent man who thinks for himself," the president lauded McCain's decision to back the U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq.
"Some told him that his early and consistent call for more troops would put his presidential campaign at risk," Bush said. "He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war."
Tuesday is the first full day of the Republicans' convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Party officials had limited Monday's session to essential business because Hurricane Gustav was hitting the Gulf Coast.
McCain campaign officials decided to resume a full schedule early Tuesday and said they would try to make up for lost time by squeezing speeches and events originally scheduled for Monday into the convention schedule over the next three days.
During Tuesday night's session, a large crowd of demonstrators marched toward the Xcel Energy Center, where the convention is being held.
On Monday, police arrested over 280 people while firing projectiles, pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd demonstrating near the convention site, St. Paul Police Department Chief John Harrington said.
Later Tuesday night, senator Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic vice presidential nominee, will tell the convention that Senator John McCain "is the best choice to lead our country forward."
Lieberman, who served three terms as a Democratic senator from Connecticut before winning a Senate term as an independent in 2006, also will say McCain correctly supported the troop surge in Iraq.
Fred Thompson, a former Tennessee senator and former rival for the Republican nomination, also made the case for McCain by speaking to the delegates at the convention.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will have a speaking role at the convention, but not on Tuesday as initially planned. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's choice for vice president, is to address the GOP on Wednesday night.
Source:Xinhua
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