AirCongress The Online Voice Of Capitol Hill

ST. PAUL — The most-anticipated speech of the Republican convention here this week arguably was the one delivered tonight by vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She won over the crowd with her personal and political story and her jabs at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Here’s a recap of the best lines in her speech, followed by video of the full speech:

• “I accept the privilege of serving with a man who has come through much harder missions … and met far graver challenges … and knows how tough fights are won.”
• “Our family has the same ups and downs as any other, the same challenges and the same joys. Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love. To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters.”
• “A writer observed: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty, sincerity, and dignity.” I know just the kind of people that writer had in mind when he praised Harry Truman. I grew up with those people. They are the ones who do some of the hardest work in America … who grow our food, run our factories, and fight our wars. They love their country, in good times and bad, and they’re always proud of America. “
• “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”
• “I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”
• “There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state Senate.”
• “Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee. He said, quote, ‘I can’t stand John McCain.’ Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we’ve chosen the right man.”

Categories: Alaska, Producer's Picks, Politics, Sarah Palin, Republican Convention

No Comments »

ST. PAUL — The three leading Republican rivals to John McCain during the GOP presidential primary all took the stage here tonight to publicly and eagerly throw their support behind the Arizona senator.

For much of the race, McCain was considered an underdog to two of those men, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The third, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, stayed in the race against McCain the longest after scoring a handful of surprise victories in the primary himself.

Here are excerpts and video clips of their speeches at the convention:

Giuliani

This is not a personal attack, it’s a statement of fact: Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada. The choice in this election comes down to substance over style. John has been tested. Barack Obama has not.

Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on the job training. It’s about who can answer that crisis call — yes, Hillary, at 3:00 in the morning. Well, no one can look at John McCain and say that he is not ready to be commander-in-chief.

So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about “change versus more of the same.” But that’s really a false choice. Because “change” is not a destination, just as “hope” is not a strategy.

Romney

Did you hear any Democrats talk last week about the threat from radical, violent jihad? Republicans believe that there is good and evil in the world. Ronald Reagan called out the Evil Empire. George Bush labeled the terror-sponsor states the Axis of Evil.

And at Saddleback, after Barak Obama dodged and ducked every direct question, John McCain hit the nail on the head: radical violent Islam is evil, and he will defeat it!

Republicans prefer straight talk to politically correct talk!

Huckabee

John McCain doesn’t want the kind of change that allows the government to reach deeper into your paycheck and pick your doctor, your child’s school, or even the kind of car you drive or how much you inflate the tires.

He doesn’t want to change the very definition of marriage from what it has always meant throughout recorded human history. It is not above John McCain’s pay grade to grasp the simple fact that human life begins at conception, and he is committed to protecting it.

Maybe the most dangerous threat of an Obama presidency is that he would continue to give madmen the benefit of the doubt. If he’s wrong just once, we will pay a heavy price. John McCain will follow the fanatics to their caves in Pakistan or to the gates of hell. What Obama wants to do is give them a place setting at the table.

Categories: New York, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Producer's Picks, Politics, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Republican Convention

No Comments »

ST. PAUL — This is the city of the Republican convention, but the biggest news tonight, at the end of the first full day of festivities, was the keynote speech delivered by a former Democrat — and not just any Democrat but the one who ran for vice president eight years ago.

Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, now an independent after being defeated in a re-election primary two years ago,

Here’s an excerpt of Lieberman’s speech:

Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of this kind of senseless partisanship. George Washington himself — in his Farewell Address to our country — warned that the “spirit of party” is “the worst enemy” of our democracy and “enfeebles” our government’s ability to do its job.

George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is — today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name. And that brings me directly to why I am here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this?

The answer is simple. I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party. I’m here tonight because John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead our country forward. I’m here because John McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important. But it is not more important than being an American.

Both presidential candidates this year talk about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and special interests that are poisoning our politics. But only one of them has actually done it. Only one leader has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people.

And that leader is John McCain.

Categories: Connecticut, Producer's Picks, Politics, Joseph Lieberman

No Comments »

ST. PAUL — Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., characterized the new Republican Party platform as “the people’s platform” and “an American platform” for the 21st century while detailing its provisions on the first day of the GOP convention here.

“It’s half as wordy but twice as bold,” he said.

Categories: California, Producer's Picks, Politics, Kevin McCarthy, Republicans, Republican Convention

1 Comment »

Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, was the keynote speaker on the first night of the party’s convention in Denver yesterday. Here is her speech:

Categories: Producer's Picks, Democratic Convention, Michelle Obama

No Comments »