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2004 Republican National Convention

 

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2004 Republican National Convention



 
 
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention
United States presidential nominating convention

A United States presidential nominating convention is a Political Convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political party who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S....
 of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
 of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings
Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the U.S. presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party . Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S....
 at which the Republican candidate for President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and party platform are formally adopted. Attendance included 2,509 delegates and 2,344 alternate delegates from the states, territories and overseas dependencies. The convention marked the formal end of the active primary election
Primary election

A primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election....
 season.

The theme of the convention was "Fulfilling America's Promise by Building a Safer World and a More Hopeful America." Defining moments of the 2004 Republican National Convention include a featured keynote address
Keynote

A keynote in literature, music or public speaking is the principal underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address....
 by Zell Miller
Zell Miller

Zell Bryan Miller is an United States politician from the U.S. state of Georgia . Elected as a Democratic Party , Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1990, List of Governors of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senate from 2000 to 2005....
 and the confirmation of the nomination of incumbent George W. Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 as the candidate for President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and of incumbent Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....
 as the candidate for Vice President
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
.






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The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention
United States presidential nominating convention

A United States presidential nominating convention is a Political Convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political party who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S....
 of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party . It is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP....
 of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City....
 in New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings
Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the U.S. presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party . Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S....
 at which the Republican candidate for President of the United States
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and party platform are formally adopted. Attendance included 2,509 delegates and 2,344 alternate delegates from the states, territories and overseas dependencies. The convention marked the formal end of the active primary election
Primary election

A primary election , also referred to simply as a primary, is an election in which voters in a jurisdiction select candidates for a subsequent election....
 season.

The theme of the convention was "Fulfilling America's Promise by Building a Safer World and a More Hopeful America." Defining moments of the 2004 Republican National Convention include a featured keynote address
Keynote

A keynote in literature, music or public speaking is the principal underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address....
 by Zell Miller
Zell Miller

Zell Bryan Miller is an United States politician from the U.S. state of Georgia . Elected as a Democratic Party , Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1990, List of Governors of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senate from 2000 to 2005....
 and the confirmation of the nomination of incumbent George W. Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 as the candidate for President
President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
 and of incumbent Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....
 as the candidate for Vice President
Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
. Bush and Cheney faced the Democratic Party's ticket of John Kerry
John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the Junior Senator United States Senate from Massachusetts and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.As the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party , he was defeated by 34 electoral votes in the United States presidential election, 2004 by the Republican Party incumbent President of the United States...
 and John Edwards
John Edwards

Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician who served one term as United States Senate from North Carolina. He was the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in United States presidential election, 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in Democratic Party presidential prima...
 in the 2004 presidential election.

The convention faced unprecedented protests in New York City throughout the week, including a massive march on the Sunday preceding the convention and repeated infiltration of the convention by protesters. 1806 people were officially arrested during the week, the vast majority on minor charges.

Platform

Apart from nominating a candidate for President and Vice President, the 2004 Republican National Convention was also charged with crafting an official party platform and political agenda for the next four years. At the helm of the Platform Committee was United States Senator
United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
 and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist
Bill Frist

William Harrison "Bill" Frist, Sr., M.D. is an American physician, businessman, and politician. Frist served two terms as a United States Senate where he became the United States Republican Party Majority Leader from 2003 until his retirement in 2007....
 of Tennessee
Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
, Congresswoman
United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
 Melissa Hart
Melissa Hart

Melissa A. Hart is an United States politician who is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for the Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district....
 of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 and Colorado Governor
Governor of Colorado

The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state Colorado National Guard....
 Bill Owens
Bill Owens

Bill Owens is an United States politician and a member of the Republican Party . He served as the 40th Governor of Colorado from 1999 to 2007, being restricted by term limits....
. The committee worked with the Bush campaign to develop the draft platform.

The platform adopted by the 2004 Republican National Convention was the longest in the party's history compared to the mere 1,000-word platform adopted at the first convention in 1856. At 48,000 words, it was twice the length of the one adopted at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention

The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a U.S. presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter , in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
 which was only 19,500 words.

The platform was aligned with the social conservatives in the party. It calls for federal amendments
Constitutional amendment

An amendment is a change to the Constitution of a nation or a state. In jurisdictions with "rigid" or "entrenched" constitutions, amendments require a special procedure different from that used for enacting ordinary laws....
 to ban abortion
Abortion

An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by the removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus, resulting in or caused by its death....
 and same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage and gay marriage are terms for a Law or socially recognized marriage between two people of the same sex. While state-sanctioned same-sex marriage is a relatively new phenomenon in the modern world, same-sex unions have been documented throughout human history....
, and further opposes civil union
Civil union

A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to marriage. Beginning with civil unions in Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide homosexuality with rights, benefits, and Moral responsibility similar to opposite-sex civil marriage....
s. In foreign policy, the platform praised Bush for his actions following September 11 and said that the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by United Kingdom forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Spain, Poland and Denmark....
 had made America safer. Reflecting the shift in political goals, the platform shifted from the 2000 platform toward Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
 and China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, no longer challenging them on economic policy and removing the 2000 platform's rebuke of Russia for the Chechnya
Chechnya

The Chechen Republic , or, informally, Chechnya , sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , Chechnia, Chechenia or Nox?iyn, is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia....
 conflict.

Venue

2004 Rnc Banner
The choice of Madison Square Garden on January 31, 2003 by all 165 members of the Republican National Committee as the venue for the 2004 Republican National Convention meant that New York City would host a major Republican nominating convention for the first time in the nation's history. On July 19, control of Madison Square Garden was officially handed over to the Republican Party under the administration of Chief Executive Officer of the Convention Bill Harris
Bill Harris (lobbyist)

Bill Harris is an United States tobacco industry lobbyist and operative of the Republican Party of the United States. The Republican National Committee appointed Harris to become the Chief Executive Officer of the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, New York and was charged with planning the quadrennial meeting at Madison S...
. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg

Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an United States businessman and philanthropist, and the current Mayor of New York City. He was listed as the eighth-richest American, with a net worth of US$30 Billion, in the Forbes 400 on Sept....
 thanked the party for their choice, for which he had vigorously lobbied, noting it as a significant display of support for the city and an economic boom.

Security

Like the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention

The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a U.S. presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter , in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
 in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially declared the 2004 Republican National Convention a National Special Security Event
National Special Security Event

A National Special Security Event is a status declared by the United States Department of Homeland Security for certain events,usually because an event may seem like an attractive target for terrorists or assassins due to the event's visibility or political connection....
 (NSSE). As such, the United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is a United States Federal government of the United States law enforcement agency that falls under the United States Department of Homeland Security....
 was charged with employing and coordinating all federal and local agencies including the various bureaus of DHS, the FBI, and the NYPD to secure the venue from terrorist attacks. Expected security expenditures reached $70 million, $50 million of which was funded by the federal government
Federal government of the United States

The Federal Government of the United States is the central current reigning United States governmental body, established by the United States Constitution....
.

The city employed an active beat of 10,000 police officers
Police

Police are agents or agencies, usually of the executive , empowered to enforce the law and to ensure public and social order through the legitimized use of force....
 deployed as Hercules teams—uniformed in full riot gear and body armor, and equipped with submachine guns and rifles. Commuter and Amtrak
Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide Inter-city rail train#Passenger trains service in the United States....
 train
Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track to rail transport from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rail tracks, but might also be a monorail or magnetic levitation train guideway....
s entering and exiting Penn Station were scoured by bomb-sniffing dogs as uniformed police officers were attached to buses carrying delegates. All employees of buildings surrounding Madison Square Garden were subjected to thorough screening and background checks.

Timing

The convention took place in New York City a week before the third anniversary of September 11. The attacks were a primary theme of the convention, from the choice of speakers to repeated invocations of the attacks.

The decision to hold the convention at such a late date sparked a controversy in the state of Illinois
Illinois

The State of Illinois is a U.S. state of the United States, the 21st to be admitted to the United States. Illinois is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern United States state and the fifth most populous state in the nation....
. Since the incumbent would accept his nomination on the last day of the convention—a mere sixty-one days before the November 2 general election—Bush would miss the certification deadline to have his name listed on the state's ballot. Illinois statutes require certification of the nomination acceptance sixty-seven days before the election. To remedy the problem, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Rod Blagojevich

Milorad "Rod" R. Blagojevich is a politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. Blagojevich was the second Serbian American elected governor in the United States....
 signed a bill passed by the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly

The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate....
 allowing Bush's name to appear on the ballot. . Illinois was a solid blue state for the 2004 election, and it was seen that adding the President's name to the ballot would not effect the outcome and distribution of Illinois 21 electoral votes.

At the convention, there was a performance of "Amazing Grace" by Daniel Rodriguez
Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez is an American operatic tenor from New York City. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in his former work with the New York City Police Department, due to his role as one of the department's designated National Anthem singers....
, a tribute to those killed on September 11. Relatives of three of the victims spoke and talked about how September 11 brought the country together. Also contributing musically were Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn

Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo, consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn . Both Brooks and Dunn had worked as singer-songwriters before the duo's formation, charting singles of their own in the late 1980s....
, Sara Evans
Sara Evans

Sara Lynn Evans is an American country music singer-songwriter who has had numerous top 10 hits.Sara Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic....
, Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack

Lee Ann Womack is an United States country music singer and songwriter, who is best-known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
, Darryl Worley
Darryl Worley

Darryl Worley is an American country music artist. Worley has recorded five studio albums, four of which were released on the DreamWorks Records label, and one of which was released on 903 Music, a defunct label owned by Neal McCoy....
.

Speakers

Early in the summer leading up to the 2004 Republican National Convention, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie
Ed Gillespie

Edward W. Gillespie is an United States Republican Party political strategist and former Counselor to the President in the George W. Bush White House....
 announced the first slate of convention speakers. He added, "It is an honor to announce the addition of these outstanding Americans to the 2004 Republican National Convention program. For the past three and a half years, President Bush has led with strength and compassion and these speakers reflect that." Chief Executive Officer of the Convention Bill Harris commented, "These speakers have seen President Bush's strong, steady leadership and each will attest to his character from a unique perspective. Their vast experience and various points of view are a testament to the depth and breadth of the support for the Republican ticket in 2004."

Zell Miller

Considered to be one of the most interesting choices for speakers at the convention was a keynote address by Georgia Senator Zell Miller
Zell Miller

Zell Bryan Miller is an United States politician from the U.S. state of Georgia . Elected as a Democratic Party , Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1990, List of Governors of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senate from 2000 to 2005....
, a conservative Democrat who had voted with Republicans. In a Wall Street Journal editorial Miller cited that the reason for his defection was that, "I barely recognize my party anymore." He continued, "Today, it's the Democratic Party that has mastered the art of division and diversion. To run for president as a Democrat these days you have to go from interest group to interest group, cap in hand, asking for the support of liberal kingmakers." He finished by saying, "I still believe in hope and opportunity and, when it comes right down to it, Mr. Bush is the man who represents hope and opportunity."

His keynote address was an excoriating attack on John Kerry, blaming him for the divisions in America. Notably, he mocked Kerry's call for strength in the armed forces by noting several important military projects that Kerry had opposed, saying that Kerry wanted "forces armed with what - spitballs?" Including Senator Edward Kennedy
Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy is the Senior Senator United States Senate from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party . In office since November 1962, Kennedy is the list of current United States Senators by seniority member of the Senate, after President pro tempore of the United States Senate Robert Byrd of West Virginia....
 of Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
, he claimed "no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often, than the two senators from Massachusetts: Ted Kennedy and John Kerry."

His speech also praised 1940 Republican Presidential nominee Wendell Wilkie for supporting President Roosevelt's establishment of a military draft, raising concerns about the intentions of President Bush in this area.

Zell Miller also delivered the keynote address on behalf of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....
 in 1992 at Madison Square Garden.

No Nancy Reagan

Absent from the slate of speakers was one of the most respected Republican elders and wife of the late President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
, Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan

Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and served as an influential First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
. In early August 2004, The New York Daily News
New York Daily News

The Daily News of New York City is the fifth most-widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 703,137, as of March 30, 2008....
 and several other newspapers reported that Reagan vehemently declined several invitations to speak at the convention and had voiced her opposition to the use of quotes and images of her late husband, who died earlier in the year. Writers reported that she was disgusted by revelations that the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee

The Republican National Committee provides national leadership for the Republican Party . It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy....
 had produced, during the week of the presidential funeral, advertisements implying President Reagan endorsed Bush for a second term. The Bush campaign and party leaders defended themselves, claiming that they did not seek to exploit President Reagan's memory. Despite the published stories, Nancy Reagan's spokesperson countered with an admission that the former First Lady fully supported President Bush for the general election. The spokesperson added that while the former First Lady and her children would be absent from the 2004 Republican National Convention, President Reagan's son with Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman

Jane Wyman was an American actor. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda , and later achieved success during the 1980s for her leading role in the television series Falcon Crest....
, Michael Reagan
Michael Reagan

Michael Edward Reagan is an United States radio personality and Republican Party strategist. His radio syndication talk radio, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, airs on stations throughout the United States on Radio America....
, had accepted an invitation to address the delegates. Nancy Reagan appeared in the filmed tribute he introduced. He dedicated the film to everyone who helped make his father president of the United States.

During the convention, delegates paid tribute to Reagan in different ways. Many of the speakers from California and Illinois, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, mentioned Reagan in their speeches and compared Reagan to Bush. Those from Illinois, including Hastert, compared Bush to both Reagan and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery....
, another native son of their state.

Another of the Reagans' sons, Ron Reagan
Ron Reagan

Ronald Prescott Reagan , usually known as Ron Reagan, is the son of the former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan....
, spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention

The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a U.S. presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter , in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
.

Chairmen

  • Dennis Hastert
    Dennis Hastert

    John Dennis "Denny" Hastert is an United States politician. He was a Republican Party member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007, representing , and served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007....
    , Permanent Chairman and Speaker of the House of Representatives
    Speaker of the United States House of Representatives

    The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic Party representing California's 8th congressional district....
  • Linda Lingle
    Linda Lingle

    Linda Lingle has been Governor of Hawaii since December 2 2002. She was sworn in for a second term on December 4, 2006.Lingle holds a number of distinctions: first Republican Party elected governor of Hawaii since the departure of William F....
    , Temporary Chairman and Tracy M. Schroeder
  • Several deputy co-chairs were named as a ceremonial honor


Monday, August 30


Principal Speakers
  • Michael Bloomberg
    Michael Bloomberg

    Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an United States businessman and philanthropist, and the current Mayor of New York City. He was listed as the eighth-richest American, with a net worth of US$30 Billion, in the Forbes 400 on Sept....
    , Mayor of New York City
  • Rudy Giuliani
    Rudy Giuliani

    Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani is an United States of America lawyer, businessman and politician from the U.S. state of New York who was Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
    , Former Mayor of New York City
  • John McCain
    John McCain

    John Sidney McCain III is the senior senator United States United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 2008 United States presidential election....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....


Featured Speakers
  • George Allen
    George Allen (U.S. politician)

    George Felix Allen is a former Republican Party United States Senate from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former National Football League head coach George Allen ....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Virginia
    Virginia

    The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
  • Lindsey Graham
    Lindsey Graham

    Lindsey Olin Graham is an United States politician from South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party , he is currently the senior United States Senate from that state....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from South Carolina
    South Carolina

    South Carolina is a U.S. state in the Southern United States of the United States. It borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north....
  • Angie Harmon
    Angie Harmon

    Angela Michelle "Angie" Harmon is an United States model and television/film actor. She became a well-known model in the 1990s and developed a career as a television star after roles on Baywatch Nights and Law & Order....
    , Actress
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
  • Bernard Kerik
    Bernard Kerik

    Bernard Bailey "Bernie" Kerik is a former American law-enforcement officer. Kerik was Police Commissioner of the City of New York from 2000 to 2001, under Mayor Rudy Giuliani....
    , Former Commissioner of the New York Police Department
  • Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck, Actress
  • Edward I. Koch
    Ed Koch

    Edward Irving "Ed" Koch was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989....
    , Former Democratic Mayor of New York City
  • Marc Racicot
    Marc Racicot

    Marc F. Racicot is a United States politician and lobbyist and member of the Republican Party . He was the governor of Montana from 1993 until 2001....
    , former Governor of Montana
  • Jason Sehorn
    Jason Sehorn

    Jason Heath Sehorn is a former Professional sports American football defensive back in the National Football League....
    , Athlete
  • Ron Silver
    Ron Silver

    Ronald Silver is an United States actor, film director, and film producer. He currently hosts a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, which focuses on politics and public affairs....
    , Actor
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
  • Bob Taft
    Bob Taft

    Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an United States Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the Governor of Ohio of the U.S....
    , Governor of Ohio
  • Ann Wagner
    Ann Wagner

    Ann Wagner is the Ambassadors from the United States to the Luxembourg. She was also Chair of the Missouri Republican Party for six years, from 1999 until 2005, and Co-chair of the Republican National Committee for four years....
    , Co-chair, Republican National Committee
    Republican National Committee

    The Republican National Committee provides national leadership for the Republican Party . It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy....


Quotations
  • "[An] heroic story comes to us from Michigan, where 19-year-old Rita Arnaout was involved in a four-car pileup that nearly killed her in March. While doctors were operating, one of her lungs collapsed. It turns out there was a malignant tumor pressing against her lung and heart. Despite the debilitating effects of cancer treatment, Rita insists on continuing her work as a volunteer for the Bush campaign. Her doctor said he didn't think it was a good idea. Rita started crying and said, 'But President Bush needs my help'. She also says if someone like her can spend time working the phones for President Bush, we all can." —Ann Wagner
  • "We should remember, it wasn't so long ago that confidence in New York was in short supply. When I took the oath of office nearly three years ago, we were a city in mourning a city that had, in a few dreadful hours, lost almost 3,000 of our own husbands, wives, sons, and daughters from every part of the nation, and every corner of the globe. There were those who doubted then whether this city could hold onto the gains made during the 90s under Mayor Giuliani. A lot of people were wondering what the future held for New York City, or whether we even had a future. But neither America nor President Bush ever stopped believing in us. Nearly two years ago, with the city's fate still a question mark in many minds, our President decided that this Convention would come to New York. This was a show of faith that required courage and vision one that all New Yorkers will not forget. And today it fills me with enormous pride and gratitude to tell everyone that New York City is back!" —Michael Bloomberg
  • "All of us, despite the differences that enliven our politics, are united in the one big idea that freedom is our birthright and its defense is always our first responsibility. All other responsibilities come second. We must not lose sight of that as we debate who among us should bear the greatest responsibility for keeping us safe and free. We must, whatever our disagreements, stick together in this great challenge of our time. My friends in the Democratic Party and I'm fortunate to call many of them my friends assure us they share the conviction that winning the war against terrorism is our government's most important obligation. I don't doubt their sincerity. They emphasize that military action alone won't protect us, that this war has many fronts: in courts, financial institutions, in the shadowy world of intelligence, and in diplomacy. They stress that America needs the help of her friends to combat an evil that threatens us all, that our alliances are as important to victory as are our armies. We agree." —John McCain
  • "We are Americans first, Americans last, Americans always. Let us argue our differences. But remember we are not enemies, but comrades in a war against a real enemy, and take courage from the knowledge that our military superiority is matched only by the superiority of our ideals, and our unconquerable love for them. Our adversaries are weaker than us in arms and men, but weaker still in causes. They fight to express a hatred for all that is good in humanity. We fight for love of freedom and justice, a love that is invincible. Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We're Americans. We're Americans, and we'll never surrender." —John McCain
  • "The years of keeping Saddam in a box were coming to a close. The international consensus that he be kept isolated and unarmed had eroded to the point that many critics of military action had decided the time had come again to do business with Saddam, despite his near daily attacks on our pilots, and his refusal, until his last day in power, to allow the unrestricted inspection of his arsenal. Our choice wasn't between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war. It was between war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not our critics abroad. Not our political opponents. And certainly not a disingenuous film maker
    Michael Moore

    Michael Francis Moore is an Academy Award-winning United States filmmaker, author and Modern liberalism in the United States political commentator....
     who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace when in fact it was a place of indescribable cruelty, torture chambers, mass graves and prisons that destroyed the lives of the small children held inside their walls." —John McCain
  • "From the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, to President George W. Bush our party's great contribution is to expand freedom in our own land and all over the world. And our party is at its best when it makes certain that we have a powerful national defense in a still very dangerous world. I don't believe we're right about everything and Democrats are wrong about everything. Neither party has a monopoly on virtue. But I do believe that there are times in our history when our ideas are more necessary and important for what we are facing." —Rudy Giuliani


Tuesday, August 31


Principal Speakers
  • Laura Bush
    Laura Bush

    Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, George W. Bush, and was the First Lady of the United States from January 20th, 2001 to January 20th, 2009....
    , First Lady of the United States
    First Lady of the United States

    First Lady of the United States is the unofficial title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the President of the United States, the title is sometimes taken to apply only to the wife of a sitting President....
  • Rod Paige
    Rod Paige

    Roderick Raynor "Rod" Paige , served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, built a career on a belief that education equalizes opportunity, moving from college dean and school Superintendent to be the List of African American United States Cabinet Secretaries to serve as the na...
    , United States Secretary of Education
    United States Secretary of Education

    The United States Secretary of Education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The Secretary is a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet, and 16th in line of United States presidential line of succession....
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Arnold Schwarzenegger

    Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and Politics of the United States, currently serving as the List of Governors of California Governor of California of the state of California....
    , Governor of California
    Governor of California

    The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government, whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced....


Featured Speakers
  • Sam Brownback
    Sam Brownback

    Samuel Dale Brownback is the senior United States United States Senate from the U.S. state of Kansas. During 2007, he was a candidate in the Republican Party primaries for the United States presidential election, 2008....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Kansas
    Kansas

    The State of Kansas is a Midwestern U.S. state in the Central United States of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the United States "Heartland"....
  • George P. Bush
    George P. Bush

    George Prescott Bush is an attorney and real estate developer, who is the eldest of three children of former Florida Governor of Florida Jeb Bush and his wife Columba Bush....
    , son of Governor of Florida Jeb Bush
    Jeb Bush

    John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an United States politician and was the 43rd List of Governors of Florida Florida. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the younger brother of former President of the United States of America George W....
  • Norm Coleman
    Norm Coleman

    Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr. is a former United States Senate from Minnesota pending the United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2008....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Minnesota
    Minnesota

    Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
  • Elizabeth Dole
    Elizabeth Dole

    Mary Elizabeth Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an United States politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush president of the United States administrations....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from North Carolina
    North Carolina

    North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
  • Bill Frist
    Bill Frist

    William Harrison "Bill" Frist, Sr., M.D. is an American physician, businessman, and politician. Frist served two terms as a United States Senate where he became the United States Republican Party Majority Leader from 2003 until his retirement in 2007....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Tennessee
    Tennessee

    Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
     and Senate Majority Leader
  • Erika Harold
    Erika Harold

    Erika Harold was Miss America 2003, having qualified for the pageant by being selected Miss Illinois 2002. Her official platform was "Preventing Youth Violence and Bullying: Protect Yourself, Respect Yourself." This platform choice was said to have grown out of personal experience; she recounts having been the subject of racial and sexual ha...
    , Miss America
    Miss America

    The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands....
     2003
  • Anne Northup
    Anne Northup

    Anne Meagher Northup is an United States Republican Party politician from the state of Kentucky. From 1997 to 2007, she represented the Louisville, Kentucky-centered Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, where she served on the powerful U.S....
    , United States Representative
    United States House of Representatives

    The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
     from Kentucky
    Kentucky

    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
  • Michael S. Steele
    Michael S. Steele

    Michael Stephen Steele is an United States politician currently serving as the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He is the first African-American to chair the Republican National Committee and the second to chair either major U.S....
    , Lieutenant Governor
    Lieutenant governor

    A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. In the United States and many Commonwealth of Nations systems, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads of state....
     of Maryland
    Maryland

    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....


Quotations
  • "We live in a great country. A nation of good people in pursuit of great ideals defined by our Founders, defended by citizen-soldiers, and delivered to us. We inherited a great nation. So must our children! No nation whatever the size of its armed forces or economy can sustain greatness unless it educates all, not just some, of its citizens. No one understands that better than President Bush. He's always had a compassionate vision for education: Students challenged by high standards; teachers armed with proper resources; parents empowered with information and choices. Young adults with meaningful diplomas in their hands not despair in their hearts." —Rod Paige
  • "Now, many of you out there tonight are Republican like me in your hearts and in your beliefs. Maybe you're from Guatemala. Maybe you're from the Philippines. Maybe Europe or the Ivory Coast. Maybe you live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New Mexico. And maybe, just maybe, you don't agree with this party on every single issue. I say to you tonight I believe that's not only okay, that's what's great about this country. Here we can respectfully disagree and still be patriotic, still be American, and still be good Republicans." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • "My fellow Americans, how do you know if you are a Republican? I'll tell you how. If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government, then you are a Republican! If you believe a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group, then you are a Republican! If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican! If you believe our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children, then you are a Republican! If you believe this country, not the United Nations, is the best hope of democracy in the world, then you are a Republican! And, ladies and gentlemen if you believe we must be fierce and relentless and terminate terrorism, then you are a Republican!" —Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • "There is another way you can tell you're a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people ...and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don't be economic girlie men!" —Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • "We love Arnold. Isn't he awesome? Thanks to him, if one of us ever decides to marry a Democrat, nobody can complain. Except maybe our Grandmother, Barbara. And, if she didn't like it, we would definitely hear about it. We already know she doesn't like some of our clothes, or music, or most of the TV shows we watch. Granny, we love you dearly, but you're just not very hip. She thinks Sex in the City is something married people do, but never talk about. We spent the last four years trying to stay out of the spotlight. Sometimes we did a little better than others. We kept trying to explain to Dad that when we were young and irresponsible, well, we were young and irresponsible." —Jenna Bush
  • "This time of war has been a time of great hardship for our military families. The President and I want all our men and women in uniform and their wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters to know we appreciate their sacrifice. We know it will mean a more peaceful future for our children and grandchildren. No American President ever wants to go to war. Abraham Lincoln didn't want to go to war, but he knew saving the union required it. Franklin Roosevelt didn't want to go to war—but he knew defeating tyranny demanded it. And my husband didn't want to go to war, but he knew the safety and security of America and the world depended on it. I remember some very quiet nights at the dinner table. George was weighing grim scenarios and ominous intelligence about potentially even more devastating attacks. I listened many nights as George talked with foreign leaders on the phone, or in our living room, or at our ranch in Crawford. I remember an intense weekend at Camp David. George and Prime Minister Tony Blair were discussing the threat from Saddam Hussein. And I remember sitting in the window of the White House, watching as my husband walked on the lawn below. I knew he was wrestling with these agonizing decisions that would have such profound consequence for so many lives and for the future of our world. And I was there when my husband had to decide. Once again, as in our parents' generation, America had to make the tough choices, the hard decisions, and lead the world toward greater security and freedom." —Laura Bush


Wednesday, September 1


Balloting
President Bush
George W. Bush

George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
 was nominated at the end of a "rolling roll call" that had started the day before.

Principal Speakers
  • Lynne Cheney
    Lynne Cheney

    Lynne Ann Vincent Cheney is the wife of former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney, and served as the "Wife of the Vice President of the United States" from 2001 to 2009....
    , Second Lady of the United States
    Second Lady of the United States

    The visibility of the wife of the Vice President of the United States has been a recent development, as late 20th century and early 21st century vice presidential wives increasingly took on public policy roles that attracted a great deal of media attention....
  • Dick Cheney
    Dick Cheney

    Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....
    , Vice President of the United States
    Vice President of the United States

    The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office in the United States of America created by the Constitution of the United States....
  • Zell Miller
    Zell Miller

    Zell Bryan Miller is an United States politician from the U.S. state of Georgia . Elected as a Democratic Party , Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1990, List of Governors of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senate from 2000 to 2005....
    , Keynote Speaker and Democratic United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Georgia
    Georgia (U.S. state)

    Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....


Featured Speakers
  • Elaine Chao
    Elaine Chao

    Elaine Lan Chao served as the 24th United States United States Secretary of Labor in the United States Cabinet of President of the United States George W....
    , United States Secretary of Labor
    United States Secretary of Labor

    The United States Secretary of Labor is the head of the United States Department of Labor who exercises control over the department and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies....
  • Kerry Healey
    Kerry Healey

    Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney....
    , Lieutenant Governor
    Lieutenant governor

    A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. In the United States and many Commonwealth of Nations systems, lieutenant governors are usually deputy heads of state....
     of Massachusetts
    Massachusetts

    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
  • Linda Lingle
    Linda Lingle

    Linda Lingle has been Governor of Hawaii since December 2 2002. She was sworn in for a second term on December 4, 2006.Lingle holds a number of distinctions: first Republican Party elected governor of Hawaii since the departure of William F....
    , Governor of Hawaii
    Governor of Hawaii

    The Governor of Hawaii, also called Ke Kiaaina o Hawaii, is the chief executive of the Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Constitution of Hawaii Article V, Sections 1 through 6....
  • Mitch McConnell
    Mitch McConnell

    Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senate from Kentucky. He was chosen by his Republican Party colleagues as the Party leaders of the United States Senate in November 2006, making him the top-ranking Republican in the 110th United States Congress, which convened January 3, 2007....
     United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Kentucky
    Kentucky

    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
  • Rob Portman
    Rob Portman

    Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is an American lawyer and elected official who has served in two federal cabinet positions and as a member of Congress....
    , United States Representative
    United States House of Representatives

    The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
     from Ohio
    Ohio

    Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
  • Michael Reagan
    Michael Reagan

    Michael Edward Reagan is an United States radio personality and Republican Party strategist. His radio syndication talk radio, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, airs on stations throughout the United States on Radio America....
    , son of President Ronald Reagan
    Ronald Reagan

    Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....
  • Mitt Romney
    Mitt Romney

    Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and former Governor of Massachusetts. Romney was a candidate for the Republican Party nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election....
    , Governor of Massachusetts
    Governor of Massachusetts

    The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democratic Party Deval Patrick....
  • Paul Ryan
    Paul Ryan (politician)

    Paul D. Ryan, Jr. is an United States politician and U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin. He is a member of the Republican Party , and represents in the U.S....
    , United States Representative
    United States House of Representatives

    The United States House of Representatives, commonly referred to as "the House", is one of the bicameralism of the United States Congress; the other is the United States Senate....
     from Wisconsin
    Wisconsin

    Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. state in the United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States. It borders two of the five Great Lakes and four U.S....
  • Brian Sandoval
    Brian Sandoval

    Brian E. Sandoval is an United States politician who served as the Nevada Attorney General from 2002 until November 2, 2005, when he resigned to accept a federal district judgeship....
    , Attorney General
    Attorney General

    In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions....
     of Nevada
    Nevada

    Nevada is a U.S. state located in the Western United States of the United States of America. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas, Nevada....
  • Rick Santorum
    Rick Santorum

    Richard John Santorum, Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a former United States Senate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania....
    , United States Senator
    United States Senate

    The United States Senate is the upper house of the Bicameralism United States Congress, the lower house being the United States House of Representatives....
     from Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....


Quotations
  • "We step forward by never forgetting that America is a force for good in the world, fighting for freedom and human rights. On this, there is no question: George W. Bush is right and the Blame America First Crowd is wrong! Americans will rise to every challenge we face." —Mitt Romney
  • "Where is the bi-partisanship in this country when we need it most? Now, while young Americans are dying in the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Democrats' manic obsession to bring down our Commander-in-Chief." —Zell Miller
  • "Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the American soldier. And, our soldiers don't just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home. For it has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag. No one should dare to even think about being the Commander in Chief of this country if he doesn't believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home." —Zell Miller
  • "And, no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Together, Kennedy/Kerry have opposed the very weapons system that won the Cold War and that is now winning the War on Terror. Listing all the weapon systems that Senator Kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our national security but Americans need to know the facts. The B-1 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, dropped 40% of the bombs in the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom. The B-2 bomber, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered air strikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hussein's command post in Iraq. The F-14A Tomcats, that Senator Kerry opposed, shot down Khadifi's Libyan MIGs over the Gulf of Sidra. The modernized F-14D, that Senator Kerry opposed, delivered missile strikes against Tora Bora.The Apache helicopter, that Senator Kerry opposed, took out those Republican Guard tanks in Kuwait in the Gulf War. The F-15 Eagles, that Senator Kerry opposed, flew cover over our Nation's Capital and this very city after 9/11. I could go on and on and on: Against the Patriot Missile that shot down Saddam Hussein's scud missiles over Israel, Against the Aegis air-defense cruiser, Against the Strategic Defense Initiative, Against the Trident missile, against, against, against. This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of our U.S. Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?" —Zell Miller
  • "In the weeks and months after September 11, I had so many people come up to me and say how glad they were that George Bush and Dick Cheney were in the White House. I knew exactly what they meant. These men are strong, they are steadfast, they are exactly the leaders we need at this moment in our history." —Lynne Cheney
  • "Just as surely as the Nazis during World War Two and the Soviet communists during the Cold War, the enemy we face today is bent on our destruction. As in other times, we are in a war we did not start, and have no choice but to win. Firm in our resolve, focused on our mission, and led by a superb commander in chief, we will prevail. The fanatics who killed some 3,000 of our fellow Americans may have thought they could attack us with impunity because terrorists had done so previously. But if the killers of September 11th thought we had lost the will to defend our freedom, they did not know America and they did not know George W. Bush." —Dick Cheney
  • "I watch him at work every day. I have seen him face some of the hardest decisions that can come to the Oval Office and make those decisions with the wisdom and humility Americans expect in their president. George W. Bush is a man who speaks plainly and means what he says. He is a person of loyalty and kindness and he brings out these qualities in those around him. He is a man of great personal strength and more than that, a man with a heart for the weak, and the vulnerable, and the afflicted. We all remember that terrible morning when, in the space of just 102 minutes, more Americans were killed than we lost at Pearl Harbor. We remember the President who came to New York City and pledged that the terrorists would soon hear from all of us. George W. Bush saw this country through grief and tragedy he has acted with patience, and calm, and a moral seriousness that calls evil by its name. In the great divide of our time, he has put this nation where America always belongs: against the tyrants of this world, and on the side of every soul on earth who yearns to live in freedom. Fellow citizens, our nation is reaching the hour of decision, and the choice is clear. President Bush and I will wage this effort with complete confidence in the judgment of the American people." —Dick Cheney


Thursday, September 2


Balloting
Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 in the George W....
 was nominated by voice vote for reelection.

Principal Speakers
  • George Pataki
    George Pataki

    George Elmer Pataki is an United States politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York of New York serving three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006....
    , Governor of New York
  • George W. Bush
    George W. Bush

    George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....
    , President of the United States
    President of the United States

    The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....


Featured Speakers
  • Edward Cardinal Egan
    Edward Cardinal Egan

    Edward Michael Egan is an archbishop and a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He is currently Archbishop Emeritus of New York, having served as the twelfth bishop and ninth archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York from 2000 to 2009....
    , Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York
  • Tommy Franks
    Tommy Franks

    General Tommy Ray Franks, United States Army, Order of the British Empire, is a retired General in the United States Army. His last Army post was as the Commander of the United States U.S....
    , Former Commander of the United States Central Command
    United States Army

    The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
  • Dorothy Hamill
    Dorothy Hamill

    Dorothy Stuart Hamill is an United States figure skating. She is the Figure skating at the 1976 Olympics....
    , Athlete
  • Mel Martinez
    Mel Martinez

    Melqu?ades Rafael "Mel" Mart?nez is currently the junior United States Senate from Florida and served as General Chairman of the Republican Party from November, 2006 until October 19, 2007....
    , Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
    United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

    The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, concerned with urban housing matters. The Secretary is a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet....
    - Elected to the U.S. Senate in Florida in 2004.
  • Lynn Swann
    Lynn Swann

    Lynn Curtis Swann is an United States former professional American football player and sportscaster. In Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2006, he was the Republican Party nominee to run against the incumbent Ed Rendell for Pennsylvania Governor....
    , Athlete


Quotations
  • "Over forty years ago, my parents sent me, as a young child, out of a land ruled by a Communist dictator and now, just forty-eight hours ago, I became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate from the great State of Florida. Only in America! Only in America can a fifteen year old boy arrive on our shores alone, not speaking the language with a suitcase and the hope of a brighter future and rise to serve in the cabinet of the President of the United States. And, only in America can that same young boy, today, stand one step away from making history as the first Cuban-American to serve in the United States Senate." —Mel Martinez
  • "I'm not a Republican. I'm not a Democrat. But I believe in democracy. I believe in America. After almost four decades as a Soldier I've been Independent — some would say very independent. But, here I stand tonight, endorsing George W. Bush to be the next President of the United States. America is a land of opportunity and a land of choice. A great war time President, Franklin Roosevelt, once said: 'Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely.' Delegates and Friends I am prepared to 'choose wisely.' And I choose George W. Bush." —Tommy Franks
  • "America did not choose this war. But we have a President who chooses to win it. This is no ordinary time. The stakes could not be higher. Fate has handed our generation a grave new threat to freedom. And fortune has given us a leader who will defend that freedom. This is no ordinary time. And George W. Bush is no ordinary leader." —George Pataki
  • "Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow citizens: I am honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for President of the United States. When I said those words four years ago, none of us could have envisioned what these years would bring. In the heart of this great city, we saw tragedy arrive on a quiet morning. We saw the bravery of rescuers grow with danger. We learned of passengers on a doomed plane who died with a courage that frightened their killers. We have seen a shaken economy rise to its feet. And we have seen Americans in uniform storming mountain strongholds, and charging through sandstorms, and liberating millions, with acts of valor that would make the men of Normandy proud. Since 2001, Americans have been given hills to climb, and found the strength to climb them. Now, because we have made the hard journey, we can see the valley below. Now, because we have faced challenges with resolve, we have historic goals within our reach, and greatness in our future. We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America and nothing will hold us back." —George W. Bush
  • "Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of al-Qaida, Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups, Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising, Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al-Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. Today, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror, Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests, Libya is dismantling its weapons programs, the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom, and more than three-quarters of al-Qaida's key members and associates have been detained or killed. We have led, many have joined, and America and the world are safer." —George W. Bush
  • "This year, we will win one for the Gipper, and they will lose one with the Flipper" —George Pataki
  • "In the last four years, you and I have come to know each other. Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe and where I stand." —George W. Bush
  • "To everything we know there is a season a time for sadness, a time for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a time for hope. This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the everlasting dream of America and tonight, in this place, that dream is renewed. Now we go forward grateful for our freedom, faithful to our cause, and confident in the future of the greatest nation on earth. God bless you, and may God continue to bless America." —George W. Bush


Aftermath

According to Rasmussen weekly tracking polls, Bush led Kerry by 0.3% on the poll released August 26. On September 2, Bush's lead had increased
Convention bounce

A convention bounce or convention bump refers to a surge of support that United States President of the United States candidates typically enjoy after the televised U.S....
 to 2.5%. On September 9, the lead had decreased to 1.3%. Bush would maintain his leads throughout the fall, until the first debate.

Protests

Protest activity included marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention and the nomination of President George W. Bush for the 2004 U.S. presidential election, as well as a much smaller number of people who marched to support Bush at the convention. Eric Corley
Eric Corley

Eric Gordon Corley, Born 1959, also frequently referred to by his pen name of Emmanuel Goldstein, is a figure in the Hacker community. He and his non-profit organization 2600 Enterprises, Inc., together publish a magazine called 2600: The Hacker Quarterly, which Corley founded in 1984....
 (a.k.a. Emmanuel Goldstein), the founder of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Hundreds of groups organized protests, including United for Peace and Justice
United for Peace and Justice

United for Peace and Justice is a coalition of more than 1,300 international and U.S.-based organizations opposed to what they describe as "our government's policy of permanent warfare and empire-building."...
, a coalition of more than 800 anti-war and social justice groups; One Thousand Coffins, a parade of one thousand full-scale flag-draped coffins commemorating the fallen; and International ANSWER
Answer

An answer was originally a solemn assertion in opposition to some one or something, and thus generally any counter-statement or defense, a reply to a question or objection, or a correct solution of a problem....
. Over 1800 individuals were arrested by the authorities, a record for a political convention in the U.S. .

See also

  • List of Republican National Conventions
    List of Republican National Conventions

    This is a list of Republican National Conventions. The quadrennial convention is the U.S. presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States....
  • 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity
    2004 Republican National Convention protest activity

    2004 Republican National Convention protest activity includes the broad range of marches, rallies, performances, demonstrations, exhibits, and acts of civil disobedience in New York City to protest the 2004 Republican National Convention and the nomination of President of the United States George W....
  • Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004
  • George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004
    George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004

    This article is about the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the incumbent President of the United States and winner of the U.S. presidential election, 2004....
  • 2004 Democratic National Convention
    2004 Democratic National Convention

    The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a U.S. presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter , in Boston, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
  • U.S. presidential nominating convention
  • U.S. presidential election, 2004


External links

  • AmericanRhetoric.com