Republican National Convention
Bush vows strong global role, bright future at home

By David Postman and Alex Fryer
Seattle Times staff reporters

ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES Balloons and confetti fall from the ceiling last night after President Bush accepted the Republican nomination for the presidency at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Related stories Text of President Bush's speech Fans, foes come out for a glance at President Bush Peaceful protests mark the end of GOP convention Other links Photo gallery of the Republican National Convention Bush accepts the Republican nomination Bush speaks about Kerry

The agenda of changes to health care, the tax code, Social Security and more is half of Bush's pledge at the Republican National Convention. The other half is what has dominated his presidency: national security.

"We will build a safer world and a more hopeful America, and nothing will hold us back," Bush said on the final night of the convention, where he accepted the Republican nomination.

"We are staying on the offensive — striking terrorists abroad — so we do not have to face them here at home," he said. "And we are working to advance liberty in the broader Middle East, because freedom will bring a future of hope, and the peace we all want. And we will prevail."

As with much of this convention three miles from Ground Zero, Bush repeatedly referred to the terrorist attacks of 2001 and the wars that followed. He said America is at a turning point.

	TED S. WARREN / AP An unidentified protester is escorted off the convention floor last night. After a week of huge demonstrations, yesterday's protests were scattered and peaceful.

"Generations will know if we seized this moment and used it to build a future of safety and peace," Bush said. "The freedom of many, and the future security of our nation, now depend on us."

Bush called for privatizing Social Security. While he pledged to "always keep the promise of Social Security for our older workers," he said, "We must strengthen Social Security by allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes in a personal account, a nest egg you can call your own and government can never take away."

That is central to Bush's call for an "ownership society," which he said "brings security and dignity and independence."

Bush's speech condensed into about an hour the thematic stages his campaign has passed through this year: describing the challenges facing the country after the Sept. 11 attacks, defining Kerry, touting his own record and now, with 61 days until the election, pledging major change if voters grant him a second term.

"This young century will be liberty's century," he said. "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."

Bush's soaring rhetoric was mixed with the president's direct criticism of his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

He said Kerry wants to "tax and spend" and expand government, chided him for referring to himself as a candidate of conservative values, and repeated oft-heard attacks on Kerry's views of the Iraq war.

Kerry, responding to a weeklong stream of attacks on his qualifications, hit back hard last night in some of his most acid statements about Bush yet.

"We all saw the anger and distortion of the Republican convention," he said at a midnight rally in Springfield, Ohio. "For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief. I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have."

Bush told Republican delegates he has a "clear and positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America."

But, providing the affirmation of a theme his advisers had been nudging and hinting toward in the lead-up to the convention, Bush showed a humble side and made it clear he hopes to win votes of even those who disagree with his policies, by appearing forthright and unwavering on his stands.

"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," Bush said.

"You may have noticed I have a few flaws, too. People sometimes correct my English. I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it," Bush said.

"Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking.' Now and then, I come across as a little too blunt, and for that we can all thank the white-haired lady sitting right up there," he said about his mother, Barbara Bush.

Bush delivered the speech from a low-sitting circular stage set up in the middle of the floor of Madison Square Garden.

While the speech covered a broad agenda of change, specifics were light and some proposals fell short of a call for dramatic action.

Bush called the tax code a "complicated mess." He said he'd lead a bipartisan effort to make it simpler.

Other proposals include:

• Doubling the number of people in a job-training program and increasing funding for community colleges.

• Creating "American opportunity zones" by giving tax breaks to attract business to areas hardest hit by unemployment and poverty.

• Ensuring that "every poor county in America has a community or rural health center."

• Requiring a "rigorous exam" before students can graduate from high school.

• Pushing to enroll more poor children in government health-insurance programs.

Karen Hughes, one of Bush's closest advisers and a consultant to his campaign, said the president's speech "recognizes the reality of the changed world in which we live and work."

"The world in which American workers want to retire is a far different world than our parents' world," she said.

The speech, she said, was written to tie together "freedom and a country in which people are more free to make their own choices, and the transforming power of liberty around the world."

Polls show voters are more supportive of Bush's positions and ability to lead on foreign policy and national security than on most domestic issues.

Members of the Washington delegation, seated in bleachers about 30 yards from the president, were impressed and enthusiastic.

"I thought it was fantastic," said Michael Young of Seattle. "I loved the humor and comparisons with John Kerry."

Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Bellevue, said the president scored points by seeming to ask for the public's support.

"I liked it when he said 'Stand with me,' " she said. "That was a good line. He was asking for their vote."

Dunn, who serves as chairwoman of the Bush campaign in Washington state, also said she was pleased that Bush showed flashes of his sense of humor, particularly when he referred to his Texas swagger.

Although the president didn't offer much in the way of new initiatives, Pedro Celis of Redmond said Bush's message of education reform and homeownership resonated with him.

"I think he outlined his campaign, and he will repeat the same message over and over," he said.

Seattle Times staff reporter J. Patrick Coolican contributed to this report. David Postman: 360-943-9882 or dpostman@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More politics headlines...