JOHN MCCAIN RNC PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Southeast braces for Hanna as Ike strengthens By KEVIN MAURER, Associated Press Writer SEPT 04,08

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Some Southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina to Maine.

Meanwhile, disaster planners eyed ferocious-looking Hurricane Ike strengthening in the Atlantic. And with power outages and problems from Hurricane Gustav lingering in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and relief groups found themselves juggling three storms.Rain and wind from Hanna could start as early as Friday night in the South, where some residents shuttered houses and stocked up on food and sandbags, coastal parks closed, and schools canceled events and changed sports schedules. Tropical storm watches and warnings were issued from Georgia to near Atlantic City, N.J.Forecasters expected Hanna to strengthen only slightly before making landfall early Saturday, though hurricane watches remained for much of coastal North and South Carolina.The governors of Virginia and North Carolina declared states of emergency. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley urged residents to pay attention because Hanna's path could change.No, you're not in the clear if you're not in the track we talked about today, he said. You're in the clear after the storm goes through and didn't bother you.In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford urged people to leave flood-prone areas and mobile homes in two northern counties by Friday afternoon.Still, some scoffed at the storm that killed at least 61people in Haiti. Instead, they turned to Ike, a Category 4 hurricane approaching the Bahamas. FEMA was sending hundreds of truckloads of meals, water and other supplies to the East Coast but also leaving resources on the Gulf Coast in case Ike heads there.Ike looks like it's a very, very dangerous storm, said FEMA Administrator David Paulison.The latest storms come on the heels of Gustav, which had some Louisiana residents still without power and living in shelters several days later.

In 2004, Paulison, then the preparedness director of FEMA, said three major hurricanes in just over a month strained but did not ultimately hobble the agency's resources and staffing.On Thursday, FEMA officials said they had sent teams to Louisiana to deal with Gustav while others planned for Hanna.FEMA's head of disaster operations, Glenn Cannon, said FEMA had deployed 700 ambulances for Gustav and was moving many east toward Florida.He said Ike looks like Hurricane Andrew did in 1992 before it killed 23 people and did $26.5 billion in damage in Florida. But he warned not to look past Hanna.Everybody's a little tired right now, and, I think, would like to look past Hanna, and we know Ike has us all concerned, he told The Associated Press. But Hanna can jump up and bite us.The American Red Cross also was moving supplies, equipment and people. The organization was borrowing money to cover Gustav expenses that could reach more than $70 million and expects to go deeper into debt as it prepares for the other storms, said Red Cross vice president Joseph Becker.Hanna chugged just east of the Bahamas Thursday with winds near 65 mph. At 8 p.m. EDT, it was 580 miles south-southeast of Wilmington, N.C.A tropical storm warning, meaning tropical storm conditions were expected within 24 hours, was issued from the Savannah River in Georgia to the North Carolina/Virginia border.

A hurricane watch was issued for Edisto Beach, S.C., to the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Virginia border. Tropical storm watches were issued from the North Carolina/Virginia border to Great Egg Inlet, N.J., and from the Savannah River south to Altamaha Sound, Ga. Watches mean conditions are possible within 36 hours. In North Myrtle Beach, S.C., few homes were boarded up, but vacationers hastily packed bags. We've seen people boarding up today and the Coast Guard helicopters flying overhead and decided it was time to go, said James Collins, of Cadillac, Mich.

Emergency managers in New England also planned for Hanna, which could hit this weekend with heavy rain and strong winds. In Providence, R.I., workers cleared storm drains and stocked up on sandbags and residents were urged to buy supplies. If nothing else it's a good dress rehearsal for Ike if Ike were to come, said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. In Kure Beach, N.C., Jimbo Andrews nursed a soda while bartender Kassie Jones made plans for a Friday night hurricane party. Andrews said he keeps hurricane supplies at his house and planned to leave if Ike hit. And Hanna? It looked to get him out of some yard work. No sense in going to the trouble when you got a storm coming, he said.

Associated Press writers Gary D. Robertson, Estes Thompson and Martha Waggoner in Raleigh; Page Ivey, Susanne M. Schafer and Jim Davenport in Columbia, S.C.; Jeffrey Collins in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Bruce Smith in Charleston, S.C.; Ben Evans and Eileen Sullivan in Washington; and Karen Testa in Boston contributed to this report.

DANIEL 7:23-24
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast(THE EU,REVIVED ROME) shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth,(7TH WORLD EMPIRE) which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(TR BLOCKS)
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:(10 NATIONS) and another shall rise after them;(#11 SPAIN) and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.(BE HEAD OF 3 KINGS OR NATIONS).

Sarkozy warns Iran it risks Israeli attack Thu Sep 4, 2:55 PM By Francois Murphy and Emmanuel Jarry

DAMASCUS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Iran on Thursday it was taking a dangerous gamble in seeking to develop nuclear weapons because one day its arch-foe Israel could strike.Western powers accuse Iran of seeking the atom bomb under the cover of a civilian nuclear program but Tehran denies the charge, insisting it only wants to master atomic technology in order to generate electricity.

The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if the dispute cannot be settled through diplomacy.Iran is taking a major risk in continuing the process to obtain a military nuclear capacity, Sarkozy told a meeting in Damascus with the leaders of Syria, Turkey and Qatar.One day, whatever the Israeli government, we could find one morning that Israel has struck, Sarkozy added.The question is not whether it would be legitimate, whether it would be intelligent. What will we do at that moment? It would be a catastrophe. We must avoid that catastrophe, Sarkozy told the meeting in comments broadcast on television.
Speculation about a possible attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has risen since Israel staged an air force exercise in June which was reported to be a simulation of a strike against Iran.

WEST FRIGHTENED

The French president has asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help resolve the standoff with Iran, a close ally of Syria, and Assad has pledged to help seek a solution.The solution is to find a mechanism to prove that this nuclear program is a peaceful program, Assad told France 2 television in an interview, adding that he understood why the West was worried about the idea of Iran getting the bomb.Of course the West is frightened. We don't want the nuclear bomb in the Middle East, he said.The U.N. Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions against Iran over its failure to heed calls to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce fuel for power plants or, potentially, nuclear weapons.Sarkozy repeated his call on Iran to halt enrichment and said Tehran should accept stricter inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).If Iran continues enrichment, that is a problem. But IAEA checks should at least take place in a complete manner. Then (Iran's) good faith would be established, he said.Iran is in talks with the IAEA on improving its cooperation with the agency, but Sarkozy did not say what complete inspections would be in his view.Tehran has also so far failed to respond to a sweetened offer of incentives by France, Britain, Germany, the United States, Russia and China aimed at persuading it, initially, to freeze expansion of its nuclear work.(Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer)(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Cheney offers US backing for Georgia's NATO bid By MARIA DANILOVA, Associated Press Writer Thu Sep 4, 4:38 PM ET

KIEV, Ukraine - Vice President Dick Cheney insisted that Georgia will join NATO and backed its attempts to rebuild from its war with Russia on Thursday, using a trip to former Soviet republics as a show of U.S. support for their pro-Western leaders.

Cheney flew to Kiev from Georgia, where he denounced Russia's illegitimate, unilateral attempt to redraw the U.S. ally's borders by force.Georgia will be in our alliance, Cheney told reporters while standing alongside Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, whose pro-Western government has sought to join NATO despite Russian opposition.Angry Russian officials have repeatedly said U.S. military aid was instrumental in emboldening Georgia to try to retake South Ossetia by force on Aug. 7. The attack sparked five days of fighting and resulted in Russian forces driving into South Ossetia and on into Georgia.Speaking in Moscow, Konstantin Kosachyov, head of foreign affairs committee in the Kremlin-controlled lower house, accused Cheney of trying to forge an anti-Russian axis.It's Cheney who was behind all recent events on the former Soviet turf, Kosachyov said in televised remarks.The vice president's trip was intended as a signal that the U.S. will continue cultivating close ties with Georgia and its neighbors even after Russia showed it was willing to use military force against countries along its border.Before Georgia, Cheney also stopped in oil-rich Azerbaijan.There are concerns the Kremlin might next seek to squeeze Ukraine as it tries to reclaim dominance in the former Soviet Union. The strategically located country of 46 million has pipelines that carry Russian gas to European consumers and a Black Sea port that is home to a key Russian naval base.

America will do its duty to work with the governments of Georgia and our other friends and allies to protect our common interests and to uphold our values, Cheney said.Russia's actions have cast grave doubts on Russia's intentions and on its reliability as an international partner, Cheney added.On the eve of his arrival, the White House announced a $1 billion commitment to help the small, strategically located nation recover from its war with Russia.Saakashvili said Georgia was grateful for the aid, which matched his government's estimate of war damages: Together with our other partners, in Europe, America and elsewhere, we will rebuild Georgia. We feel that we are not alone.The United States is at Georgia's side, Cheney said, as you work to overcome an invasion of your sovereign territory and an illegitimate, unilateral attempt to change your country's borders by force, that has been universally condemned by the free world.New U.S. military aid to Georgia would further test relations between Washington and Moscow, which are already at a post-Cold War low.Russia has condemned the U.S. use of warships to deliver aid as a form of gunboat diplomacy. The flagship of the U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, the USS Mount Whitney, sailed into the Black Sea on Wednesday with more aid for Georgia.

According to a military official, the ship is planning to dock in the Black Sea port of Poti. The official, who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that the Russians have said they would not impede the ship's movement, but they want to check the cargo when it arrives in Poti. The U.S. has agreed to that, the official said.The United States and European Union say Russia has failed to meet its obligations under an EU-brokered cease-fire deal. But Moscow insists the cease-fire accord lets it run checkpoints in security zones more than 4 miles into Georgian territory. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said before meeting with his Russian counterpart Thursday that the EU hopes the Russian troops will pull out by Monday when an EU delegation led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits Moscow. The EU peace deal talks about temporary security measures and patrols, not about permanent installations, Frattini was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. But Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov firmly said after talks with Frattini in Moscow that Russian peacekeepers will stay in the security zone until there is a comprehensive mechanism of international monitoring. For the first time since the outbreak of hostilities, Russia on Thursday allowed military monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to patrol a road near South Ossetia. Access to the area has been a focus for the OSCE and international partners, and we welcome this important step, Ambassador Terhi Hakala, the head of the OSCE mission to Georgia, said in a statement. The OSCE has decided to increase its team of observers in Georgia from 8 before the conflict to 100.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko, who has supported Georgia, has objected to Russia using its ships stationed in the Ukrainian base in the war, thus dragging Ukraine into the conflict. His move has angered Moscow and further strained relations which already have been tense over energy disputes and the Russian navy presence in Ukraine. Since the war in Georgia last month, Russia has asserted it has what President Dmitry Medvedev called privileged interests in its sphere of influence, which includes the former Soviet states in the South Caucasus. I would like to say firmly: we are worried about the Russian president's recent use of the term regions of privileged interests of the Russian Federation, Yushchenko said Thursday at a meeting with the ambassadors of G-7 nations. I don't think this corresponds to the spirit of our neighborly relations.Cheney's visit comes at an awkward time for Yushchenko. The governing coalition, made up of his party and that of his 2004 Orange Revolution partner — now Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko — has collapsed, dashing hopes for quick progress and integration with the European Union.

Yushchenko and Tymoshenko have turned into bitter rivals before the 2010 presidential election, in which they are likely to compete against each other, blocking each other's policies and stalling much-needed reform. After Tymoshenko sided with the Russia-friendly opposition to trim presidential powers, Yushchenko's allies pulled out of the coalition, robbing it of a parliamentary majority. The parliament now has to come up with a new alliance or a new election will be called. That would be the third parliamentary vote in as many years and a major embarrassment to Yushchenko's government. Associated Press writers Steve Gutterman and Misha Dzhindzhikashvili in Tbilisi; Jennifer Loven, Matthew Lee and Lolita Baldor in Washington; Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Ariel David in Rome contributed to this report.

Stocks plummet after retail, unemployment data By MADLEN READ, AP Business Writer Thu Sep 4, 6:03 PM ET

NEW YORK - Dejected investors sent stocks plunging Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 340 points after retailers and the government added to a mountain of bad economic news and devastated hopes for a late-year recovery. The market was already nervous as it waited for the government to release its August employment report on Friday. So news from the nation's major retailers that shoppers curtailed their spending last month due to higher gas and food prices came as a heavy blow.Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, beat expectations because of its big discounts, but many teen retailers and luxury chains did poorly, a sign that consumers are spending mostly on essentials and putting discretionary buying on hold.Meanwhile, the Labor Department said new applications for unemployment insurance rose by 15,000 last week from the previous week. That broadly missed expectations for a fourth-straight week of declines, heightening worries that the average American — already feeling the effects of the weak housing market — will have even less means to spend.Furthermore, if the job market keeps deteriorating, it is tough for Wall Street to see a rebound in sight for the economy's biggest culprit: the tumbling housing market.You have to have a paycheck to pay that mortgage, said Craig Peckham, market strategist at Jefferies & Co.The numbers released Thursday were a sign that despite some upbeat reports over the past month, the economy remains deeply troubled. Investors are not expecting any promising news in the August jobs report, particularly after the ADP National Employment Report said that private sector employment decreased in August by 33,000. Economists are predicting the government will report the eighth straight monthly payrolls drop, and a rise in the unemployment rate.

The market was so disheartened that it showed little reaction when the Institute for Supply Management said the service sector grew unexpectedly in August for the first time in three months as new orders increased and inflation moderated. The August reading of 50.6 was higher than the 50.0 expected, and the reading of 49.2 in July; but the sector's edging above the threshold between contraction and expansion was hardly a sign of a robust economy.An economic recovery appears to be far off to investors — and with the Dow down more than 15 percent for the year so far, they don't appear to be holding out for a significant upturn in stocks, either.We're seeing nothing but sellers, said Ted Oberhaus, director of equity trading at Lord, Abbett & Co. In a bear market, you sort of really don't need an excuse to sell.The Dow fell 344.65, or 2.99 percent, to 11,188.23. It was the worst drop for the blue-chip index since June 26, when it fell more than 358 points, or 3.03 percent.

Broader indexes also tumbled. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 38.15, or 2.99 percent, to 1,236.83, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 74.69, or 3.20 percent, to 2,259.04.All three indexes moved back into bear market territory, defined as a 20 percent drop from a recent peak. The indexes were at highs, including a record 14,198.09 for the Dow, last October.As investors fled stocks, they turned to the safety of government bonds, sending Treasury prices higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.62 percent from 3.70 percent late Wednesday.Not even another drop in oil could console investors. After the government reported a lower-than-expected drop in U.S. gasoline and crude supplies, light sweet crude fell $1.46 to settle at $107.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude is about $30 below its July 11 high of $147.27. Gold prices also slid Thursday.News about housing didn't help the market. Toll Brothers Inc. CEO Robert Toll said he is seeing signs the housing market is stabilizing, but Ara Hovnanian — CEO of Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. — said he sees no evidence yet of a market bottom. The stock market appeared to agree with the latter sentiment, sending homebuilder stocks sharply lower.Toll Brothers performed better than its peers, even after posting a third-quarter loss; its shares rose 27 cents to $25.07. But shares of Hovnanian, which on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss, sank $1.35, or 17.4 percent, to $6.40. Pulte Homes Inc. fell 86 cents, or 5.8 percent, to $12.05, and KB Home fell $1.22, or 5.7 percent, to $20.11.The financial sector fared poorly on Thursday as well, particular after bond fund manager Bill Gross wrote in a commentary on his firm's Web site that the U.S. Treasury needs to provide funding to mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Freddie shares fell 30 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $5.08, and Fannie shares fell 65 cents, or 8.9 percent, to $6.67. The biggest decliners among the 30 Dow components were three financial stocks: Bank of America Corp., which fell $2.36, or 7.2 percent, to $30.60; Citigroup Inc., which fell $1.31, or 6.7 percent, to $28.30; and American International Group Inc., which fell $1.36, or 6 percent, to $21.22. Wal-Mart's stock ended down only a penny at $59.78, after it said sales of groceries and back-to-school products helped its August same-store sales rise 3 percent, above expectations. But the discount chain's success was seen as the corollary of a cash-strapped consumer, and other retailers fell. JCPenney Co. fell $2.07, or 5 percent, to $39.57, while Gap Inc. fell 83 cents, or 4.2 percent, to $19.14. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 23.29, or 3.14 percent, to 718.62. Declining issues outpaced advancers by about 5 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where consolidated volume came to 5.11 billion shares, up from 4.94 billion shares on Wednesday. Overseas, the Bank of England and European Central Bank left their benchmark interest rates unchanged — a move analysts expected, as both regions face rising inflation and slowing economic growth. The ECB also decided to make it more expensive for banks to borrow from the central bank against risky assets — another worry weighing on investors' minds, Jefferies' Peckham said. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 2.50 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 2.91 percent, and France's CAC-40 shed 3.22 percent. Japan's Nikkei stock closed down 1.04 percent. On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

Prepared remarks of Cindy McCain's address By The Associated Press SEPT 04,08

Prepared remarks of Cindy McCain, wife of presidential candidate John McCain, to the Republican National Convention on Thursday:

Thank you everyone.John and I are so proud of them and so happy to have them here with us tonight.Nothing has made me happier or more fulfilled in my life than being a mother.But while John and I take great joy in having been able to spend time together this week as a family, our hearts go out to the thousands of families who have had to leave their homes once again due to devastating weather.It is not only our natural instinct to rally to them, to lift them up with our prayers and come to their aid, it is also our duty to our country.That duty is what brings me before you tonight. And it's much larger and more important than just me or John or any of us: It's the work of this great country calling us together — and there is no greater duty than that, no more essential task for our generation — right now.That's been very much on my mind these last few months as I traveled our country.Each day, after the bands packed up, the speeches were done, and the camera lights darkened, I always came back to how blessed and honored I was to be part of our national conversation.And in these times, when so many of our fellow Americans face difficult situations, what I saw moved me deeply.Families worried about losing their homes.

Towns deserted by industries once at their center.Mothers with no choice but to send their children to unsafe and underperforming schools.But I have also seen the resilience of the American people. I've heard stirring stories of neighbor helping neighbor, of cities on one end of the country offering help to fellow citizens on the other.Despite our challenges our hearts are still alive with hope and belief in our individual ability to make things right if only the Federal government would get itself under control and out of our way.So tonight is also about renewing our commitment to one another.Because this campaign is not about us. It's about our special and exceptional country. And this convention celebrates a special and exceptional Republican Party ... the hand we feel on our shoulder belongs to Abraham Lincoln. Our country was born amidst the struggle for freedom ... and our party arose from a great battle for human rights, dignity, and equality for all people. We give way to no one and no other party in that cause. From its very birth, our party has been grounded in the notion of service, community and self-reliance ... and it's all tempered by a uniquely American faith in — and compassion for — each other's neighbors. A helping hand and friendly support has always been our way. It's no surprise that Americans are the most generous people in history. That generosity of spirit is in our national DNA. It's our way of doing things. It's how we view the world.

I was taught Americans can look at the world and ask either: What do other countries think of us ... or we can look at ourselves and ask: What would our forefathers make of us and what will our children say of us? That's a big challenge. In living up to it, we know the security and prosperity of our nation is about a lot more than just politics. It also depends on personal commitment, a sense of history and a clear view of the future. I know of no one who better defines how to do that ... whose life is a better example of how to go about that than the man I love and with whom I have shared almost 30 years of my life: My husband, John McCain. From the beginning of time, no matter how accomplished in other fields, women have always sought a husband with an eye to what kind of father that man would be. Well, I hit a home run with John McCain! I got the most marvelous husband and friend and confidant ... a source of strength and inspiration ... and also the best father you could ever imagine. In that most sacred role, he brought to our children his great personal character ... his lifelong example of honesty ... and his steadfast devotion to honor. He has shown the value of self-sacrifice by daily example and, above all ... John showers us with the unconditional love and support every family dreams of. I know what his children say of him. And his courageous service to America in war and peace leaves no doubt what our forefathers would make of him! It's these virtues of character that led him to this campaign, to this moment. John McCain is a steadfast man who will not break with our heritage ... no matter how demanding or dangerous the challenges at home or abroad. And let's not be confused: these are perilous times, not just for America, but for freedom itself. It's going to take someone of unusual strength and character — someone exactly like my husband — to lead us through the reefs and currents that lie ahead. I know John. You can trust his hand at the wheel. But you know what, I've always thought it's a good idea to have a woman's hand on the wheel as well. So how about Governor Sarah Palin!

John has picked a reform-minded ... hockey-mommin' ... basketball shootin' ... moose huntin' ... fly-fishin' ... pistol-packing ... mother of five for vice president. And as a fellow hockey mom myself and a Western conservative mother, I couldn't be prouder that John has shaken things up as he usually does! No one can do the job alone. And that's why I'm glad John will have Governor Palin by his side. We all to have work together ... build consensus — the way John has done all his life. His leadership inspires and empowers ... and places ultimate success in all our hands.

Ronald Reagan was fond of saying, with freedom goes responsibility — a responsibility that can only be met by the individual himself.I have been witness to great service and sacrifice — to lives lived with humility and grace. In World War II, my father's B-17 was shot down three times. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. But he was quiet about that ... and never claimed to have done more than his small share. Just like my husband. I think John was a hero in Vietnam. But he thinks it was just his turn. Our son, Jack, will graduate from the United States Naval Academy next year — fourth generation — ready to do his service. And our son Jimmy — a lance corporal in the Marine Corps — served honorably in Iraq ... as hundreds of thousands of other young men and women just like him are doing for America and freedom everywhere. The stakes were never more clear to me, than the morning I watched my son Jimmy strap on his weapons and board a bus headed for harm's way. I was born and raised in the American West and will always see the world through the prism of its values. My Father was a true Western Gentleman.He rose from hardscrabble roots to realize the American dream. With only a few borrowed dollars in his pocket, a strong back and a can-do spirit, he built a great life for his family. His handshake was his solemn oath. He looked you straight in the eye and he always believed the best of you unless you gave him good cause not to. Modest and good-natured, he had deep roots in our American soil. He taught me life is not just about you — it's also about nurturing the next generation ... preparing a better world for all our children and helping them find the right way up. We all come to that knowledge in different ways. For me, the great moment of clarity came when I became a mother. Something changed in me, and I would never see my obligations the same way. It was after that, I was walking through the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh, surrounded by terrible poverty and the devastation of a cyclone. All around me were the children, and the desperate faces of their mothers. The pain was overwhelming ... and I felt helpless.

But then I visited an orphanage begun by Mother Teresa, and two very sick little girls captured my heart. There was something I could do. I could take them home. And so I did. Today both of those girls are healthy and happy. And one of them you just met: our beautiful daughter, Bridget. Much is expected of a country as blessed as America ... and our people are at work all over the globe ... making it a better planet ... doing their part. It was my privilege to work with the men and women of the American Voluntary Medical Teams in places like Zaire, Micronesia and Vietnam ... watching as they relieved whole towns from disease ... and rescued countless children from sickness. The reward for sharing in that work is truly indescribable. To see a child rescued from a life in the shadows by Operation Smile is to witness and share a joy that is life-changing. And the challenges go on. I just returned from the Republic of Georgia, where HALO Trust — an organization specializing in clearing the debris of war — and others, are rescuing innocent victims from land mines and missiles. Sometimes the courage of others leaves me breathless. I only need to speak the word Rwanda and the images it conjures are beyond description. In my box tonight is Ernestine, a woman, a friend, a mother like myself, whom I met in Kigali. She suffered unimaginable horrors and was made to watch appalling havoc wreaked on her family. Yet, as the violence in her country subsides, she doesn't seek retribution — instead, she offers love and seeks reconciliation for her people. She says, simply, It's time to move on for me and my country.Ernestine, would you please stand up? Your courage is humbling. Your forgiveness is healing. You are my hero. Forgiveness is not just a personal issue: It's why John led the effort to normalize relations with Vietnam ... to retrieve the remains of our MIAs ... to bring closure to both sides. That's leadership — national leadership. And it's leading by example. The presidential contest will begin in earnest when this convention closes. If Americans want straight talk and the plain truth they should take a good close look at John McCain ... a man tested and true ... who's never wavered in his devotion to our country ... a man who's served in Washington without ever becoming a Washington insider ... who always speaks the truth no matter what the cost ... a man of judgment and character ... a loyal and loving and true husband and a magnificent father!

This is a good man, a worthy man ... I know. I have loved him with all my heart for almost 30 years ... and I humbly recommend him to you tonight as our nominee for the next president of the United States! I'm so grateful to have had the chance to speak with you tonight ... and for the honor you are about to grant my husband — and, indeed, our entire family. I promise you I will work every day to help John strengthen our freedom ... to serve this great country with the honor, dignity and the love it deserves ... from each and every generation it blesses. May God bless all of you: ... our beloved America ... the citizens of the Gulf Coast ... and all the sons and daughters serving this great country around the world tonight. Thank you.

I LIKED THE MCCAIN SPEECH TONIGHT, IT WAS THE BEST ONE I HEARD OF HIS.

Full text of John McCain's speech SEPT 04,08

The full text of Sen. John McCain's acceptance speech, as prepared for delivery.

Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans — the privilege of accepting our party’s nomination for President of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence.In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn't any different. That's a tribute to the candidates who opposed me and their supporters. They're leaders of great ability, who love our country, and wished to lead it to better days. Their support is an honor I won't forget. I'm grateful to the President for leading us in those dark days following the worst attack on American soil in our history, and keeping us safe from another attack many thought was inevitable; and to the First Lady, Laura Bush, a model of grace and kindness in public and in private. And I'm grateful to the 41st President and his bride of 63 years, and for their outstanding example of honorable service to our country.As always, I'm indebted to my wife, Cindy, and my seven children. The pleasures of family life can seem like a brief holiday from the crowded calendar of our nation's business. But I have treasured them all the more, and can’t imagine a life without the happiness you give me. Cindy said a lot of nice things about me tonight. But, in truth, she’s more my inspiration than I am hers. Her concern for those less blessed than we are — victims of land mines, children born in poverty and with birth defects — shows the measure of her humanity. I know she will make a great First Lady.

When I was growing up, my father was often at sea, and the job of raising my brother, sister and me would fall to my mother alone. Roberta McCain gave us her love of life, her deep interest in the world, her strength, and her belief we are all meant to use our opportunities to make ourselves useful to our country. I wouldn’t be here tonight but for the strength of her character.My heartfelt thanks to all of you, who helped me win this nomination, and stood by me when the odds were long. I won’t let you down. To Americans who have yet to decide who to vote for, thank you for your consideration and the opportunity to win your trust. I intend to earn it.Finally, a word to Senator Obama and his supporters. We’ll go at it over the next two months. That’s the nature of these contests, and there are big differences between us. But you have my respect and admiration. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We’re dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn’t be an American worthy of the name if I didn’t honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.But let there be no doubt, my friends, we’re going to win this election. And after we’ve won, we’re going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace.

These are tough times for many of you. You’re worried about keeping your job or finding a new one, and are struggling to put food on the table and stay in your home. All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way. And that’s just what I intend to do: stand on your side and fight for your future.

And I’ve found just the right partner to help me shake up Washington, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. She has executive experience and a real record of accomplishment. She’s tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption. She’s balanced a budget, cut taxes, and taken on the special interests. She’s reached across the aisle and asked Republicans, Democrats and Independents to serve in her administration. She’s the mother of five children. She’s helped run a small business, worked with her hands and knows what it’s like to worry about mortgage payments and health care and the cost of gasoline and groceries.She knows where she comes from and she knows who she works for. She stands up for what’s right, and she doesn’t let anyone tell her to sit down. I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.I’m not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin. And when we tell you we’re going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country’s problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We’ve got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.

You know, I’ve been called a maverick; someone who marches to the beat of his own drum.Sometimes it’s meant as a compliment and sometimes it’s not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don’t work for a party. I don’t work for a special interest. I don’t work for myself. I work for you.I’ve fought corruption, and it didn’t matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I’ve fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment. I’ve fought to get million dollar checks out of our elections. I’ve fought lobbyists who stole from Indian tribes. I fought crooked deals in the Pentagon. I fought tobacco companies and trial lawyers, drug companies and union bosses.I fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq, when it wasn’t a popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war.Thanks to the leadership of a brilliant general, David Petraeus, and the brave men and women he has the honor to command, that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans.I don’t mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I’ve had quite a few tough ones in my life. But I learned an important lesson along the way. In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test.I fight for Americans. I fight for you. I fight for Bill and Sue Nebe from Farmington Hills, Michigan, who lost their real estate investments in the bad housing market. Bill got a temporary job after he was out of work for seven months. Sue works three jobs to help pay the bills.I fight for Jake and Toni Wimmer of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Jake works on a loading dock; coaches Little League, and raises money for the mentally and physically disabled. Toni is a schoolteacher, working toward her Master’s Degree. They have two sons, the youngest, Luke, has been diagnosed with autism. Their lives should matter to the people they elect to office. They matter to me.I fight for the family of Matthew Stanley of Wolfboro, New Hampshire, who died serving our country in Iraq. I wear his bracelet and think of him every day. I intend to honor their sacrifice by making sure the country their son loved so well and never returned to, remains safe from its enemies.I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.

We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics. We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential from the boy whose descendents arrived on the Mayflower to the Latina daughter of migrant workers. We’re all God’s children and we’re all Americans.We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets. We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor.We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don’t legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities.We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn’t make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.Keeping taxes low helps small businesses grow and create new jobs. Cutting the second highest business tax rate in the world will help American companies compete and keep jobs from moving overseas. Doubling the child tax exemption from $3500 to $7000 will improve the lives of millions of American families. Reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs will let you keep more of your own money to save, spend and invest as you see fit. Opening new markets and preparing workers to compete in the world economy is essential to our future prosperity.I know some of you have been left behind in the changing economy and it often seems your government hasn’t even noticed. Government assistance for unemployed workers was designed for the economy of the 1950s. That’s going to change on my watch. My opponent promises to bring back old jobs by wishing away the global economy. We’re going to help workers who’ve lost a job that won’t come back, find a new one that won’t go away.We will prepare them for the jobs of today. We will use our community colleges to help train people for new opportunities in their communities. For workers in industries that have been hard hit, we'll help make up part of the difference in wages between their old job and a temporary, lower paid one while they receive retraining that will help them find secure new employment at a decent wage.Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them. Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have that choice and their children will have that opportunity.Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students. And when I’m President, they will.My fellow Americans, when I’m President, we’re going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much. We will attack the problem on every front. We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we’ll drill them now. We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas. We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.

Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that. We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet. It’s an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, and we have faced greater challenges. It’s time for us to show the world again how Americans lead.This great national cause will create millions of new jobs, many in industries that will be the engine of our future prosperity; jobs that will be there when your children enter the workforce.Today, the prospect of a better world remains within our reach. But we must see the threats to peace and liberty in our time clearly and face them, as Americans before us did, with confidence, wisdom and resolve.We have dealt a serious blow to al Qaeda in recent years. But they are not defeated, and they’ll strike us again if they can. Iran remains the chief state sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons. Russia’s leaders, rich with oil wealth and corrupt with power, have rejected democratic ideals and the obligations of a responsible power. They invaded a small, democratic neighbor to gain more control over the world’s oil supply, intimidate other neighbors, and further their ambitions of reassembling the Russian empire. And the brave people of Georgia need our solidarity and prayers. As President, I will work to establish good relations with Russia so we need not fear a return of the Cold War. But we can’t turn a blind eye to aggression and international lawlessness that threatens the peace and stability of the world and the security of the American people.We face many threats in this dangerous world, but I'm not afraid of them. I'm prepared for them. I know how the military works, what it can do, what it can do better, and what it should not do. I know how the world works. I know the good and the evil in it. I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace.When I was five years old, a car pulled up in front of our house. A Navy officer rolled down the window, and shouted at my father that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. I rarely saw my father again for four years. My grandfather came home from that same war exhausted from the burdens he had borne, and died the next day. In Vietnam, where I formed the closest friendships of my life, some of those friends never came home with me. I hate war. It is terrible beyond imagination.I’m running for President to keep the country I love safe, and prevent other families from risking their loved ones in war as my family has. I will draw on all my experience with the world and its leaders, and all the tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military and the power of our ideals — to build the foundations for a stable and enduring peace.In America, we change things that need to be changed. Each generation makes its contribution to our greatness. The work that is ours to do is plainly before us. We don’t need to search for it.We need to change the way government does almost everything: from the way we protect our security to the way we compete in the world economy; from the way we respond to disasters to the way we fuel our transportation network; from the way we train our workers to the way we educate our children. All these functions of government were designed before the rise of the global economy, the information technology revolution and the end of the Cold War. We have to catch up to history, and we have to change the way we do business in Washington.The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.Again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That’s how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not.Instead of rejecting good ideas because we didn’t think of them first, let’s use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let’s try sharing it. This amazing country can do anything we put our minds to. I will ask Democrats and Independents to serve with me. And my administration will set a new standard for transparency and accountability.We’re going to finally start getting things done for the people who are counting on us, and I won’t care who gets the credit.

I’ve been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I have been her servant first, last and always. And I’ve never lived a day, in good times or bad, that I didn’t thank God for the privilege. Long ago, something unusual happened to me that taught me the most valuable lesson of my life. I was blessed by misfortune. I mean that sincerely. I was blessed because I served in the company of heroes, and I witnessed a thousand acts of courage, compassion and love.On an October morning, in the Gulf of Tonkin, I prepared for my 23rd mission over North Vietnam. I hadn’t any worry I wouldn’t come back safe and sound. I thought I was tougher than anyone. I was pretty independent then, too. I liked to bend a few rules, and pick a few fights for the fun of it. But I did it for my own pleasure; my own pride. I didn’t think there was a cause more important than me. Then I found myself falling toward the middle of a small lake in the city of Hanoi, with two broken arms, a broken leg, and an angry crowd waiting to greet me. I was dumped in a dark cell, and left to die. I didn’t feel so tough anymore. When they discovered my father was an admiral, they took me to a hospital. They couldn’t set my bones properly, so they just slapped a cast on me. When I didn’t get better, and was down to about a hundred pounds, they put me in a cell with two other Americans. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even feed myself. They did it for me. I was beginning to learn the limits of my selfish independence. Those men saved my life.I was in solitary confinement when my captors offered to release me. I knew why. If I went home, they would use it as propaganda to demoralize my fellow prisoners. Our Code said we could only go home in the order of our capture, and there were men who had been shot down before me. I thought about it, though. I wasn’t in great shape, and I missed everything about America. But I turned it down.A lot of prisoners had it worse than I did. I’d been mistreated before, but not as badly as others. I always liked to strut a little after I’d been roughed up to show the other guys I was tough enough to take it. But after I turned down their offer, they worked me over harder than they ever had before. For a long time. And they broke me.When they brought me back to my cell, I was hurt and ashamed, and I didn’t know how I could face my fellow prisoners. The good man in the cell next door, my friend, Bob Craner, saved me. Through taps on a wall he told me I had fought as hard as I could. No man can always stand alone. And then he told me to get back up and fight again for our country and for the men I had the honor to serve with. Because every day they fought for me.I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s.I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God. If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.Fight for what’s right for our country.Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.Fight for our children’s future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all.Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.Thank you, and God Bless you.

McCain tells convention, nation he'll bring change By DAVID ESPO and ROBERT FURLOW, Associated Press Writers SEPT 05,08

ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain, a POW turned political rebel, vowed Thursday night to vanquish the constant partisan rancor that grips Washington as he launched his fall campaign for the White House. Change is coming, he promised the roaring Republican National Convention and a prime-time television audience. To repeated cheers from his delegates, McCain criticized fellow Republicans as well as Democratic rival Barack Obama as he reached out to independents and disaffected Democrats.We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us, he said of the Republicans who controlled Congress for most of the past 15 years.As for Obama, he said, I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.Before McCain's speech, the climax of the final night of the party convention, delegates awarded the vice presidential nomination to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first female ticketmate in Republican history.She stands up for what's right and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down, McCain said of the woman who has faced intense scrutiny in the week since she was picked.And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd: Change is coming, McCain declared.He and Palin were departing their convention city immediately after the Arizona senator's acceptance speech, bound for Wisconsin and an early start on the final weeks of the White House campaign.McCain, at 72 bidding to become the oldest first-term president, drew a roar from the convention crowd when he walked out onto the stage lighted by a single spotlight. He was introduced by a video that dwelt heavily on his time spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and as a member of Congress, hailed for a faithful unyielding love for America, country first.

USA, USA, USA,chanted the crowd in the hall.

McCain faced a delicate assignment as he formally accepted his party's presidential nomination: presenting his credentials as a reformer willing to take on his own party and stressing his independence from an unpopular President Bush — all without breaking faith with his Republican base.

He set about it methodically.

After we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, he said, and he pledged to invite Democrats and independents to serve in his administration.He mentioned President Bush only in passing, as the leader who led the country through the days after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.And there was plenty for conservative Republicans to cheer — from his pledge to free the country from the grip of its dependence on foreign oil, to a vow to have schools answer to parents and students rather than unions and entrenched bureaucrats.A man who has clashed repeatedly with Republicans in Congress, he said proudly, I've been called a maverick. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment and sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for.I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.Thousands of red, white and blue balloons nestled in netting above the convention floor, to be released on cue for the traditional celebratory convention finale. Given McCain's political mission, it was left to other Republicans to deliver much of the criticism aimed at Obama. In the race for the White House, It's not about building a record, it's about having one, said former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. It's not about talking pretty, it's about talking straight.McCain invoked the five years he spent in a North Vietnamese prison. I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's, he said. I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's.The last night of the McCain-Palin convention also marked the end of an intensive stretch of politics with the potential to reshape the race for the White House. Democrats held their own convention last week in Denver, nominating Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden as running mate for Obama, whose own acceptance speech drew an estimated 84,000 partisans to an outdoor football stadium. The polls indicate a close race between McCain and Obama, at 47 a generation younger than his Republican opponent, with the outcome likely to be decided in scattered swing states in the industrial Midwest and the Southwest.

Ahead lie the traditional major checkpoints — presidential and vice presidential debates, millions of dollars in ads — but also the unscripted, spontaneous moments that can take on outsized importance in the race to pick a president. Before he spoke Thursday night, Cindy McCain recommended her husband to the crowd — and the nation. If Americans want straight talk and the plain truth they should take a good close look at John McCain, a man tested and true who's never wavered in his devotion to our country, she said. She called him a man who's served in Washington without ever becoming a Washington insider.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also had a speaking slot, and he used it to criticize McCain's rival. He said Obama and the liberal group MoveOn.org were the only ones who didn't realize that Bush's decision to deploy additional troops to Iraq last year had succeeded. Ridge's turn at the podium came after he had been mentioned prominently in speculation about a running mate.

That was an honor that went unexpectedly to Palin, the first female vice presidential candidate in party history, a 44-year-old Alaska governor virtually unknown nationally a week ago. In the days since, she has faced a storm of scrutiny, some of it relating to her tenure as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and her time as governor, but most involving her 17-year-old unmarried daughter who is pregnant. For the most part, McCain's aides have kept Palin out of public sight while vociferously defending her readiness to become president. She emerged Wednesday night during prime time to deliver a smiling, sarcastic attack on Obama that generated roars of approval — and acceptance — from the delegates. She followed up in the hours before McCain's convention appearance with a meeting with Republican governors and a fundraising appeal that blamed Democrats for spreading misinformation and flat-out lies about her family and her. Even so, there were fresh questions about her readiness to sit one chair away from the Oval Office. McCain has cited her authority over the Alaska National Guard as one example. But in a memo last spring, Air Force Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell warned that missions are at risk in the state's units because of a personnel shortage. The lack of qualified airmen, Campbell said, has reached a crisis level.In an interview on Wednesday with The Associated Press, Campbell said the situation has improved since then, but not enough to eliminate his concern that shortages will result in the burnout of troops. McCain won the presidential nomination late Wednesday night in an anticlimactic vote that followed a campaign lasting most of a decade. He first ran for the White House in 2000, but lost the Republican nomination to Bush in a bruising struggle. He began the current campaign the Republican front-runner, but his chances seemed to collapse last winter when opposition to the Iraq war rose among independents and conservatives grew upset over his backing for legislation to give illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship. In one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent times, he recovered to win the New Hampshire primary in early January, then wrapped up the nomination on Feb. 5 with big-state primary victories on Super Tuesday. Obama, campaigning in swing-state Pennsylvania on Thursday, said he wasn't surprised at Palin's criticism of him, and said Democrats intended to focus on her record. I think she's got a compelling story, but I assume she wants to be treated the same way that guys want to be treated, he said. I've been through this 19 months, she's been through it — what — four days so far? Obama's campaign announced it had raised roughly $10 million from more than 130,000 donors since Palin delivered her speech Wednesday night. Outside the hall, police on horseback thwarted plans by anti-war demonstrators to march on the convention hall. protesters calling for an end to the Iraq war vowed to march as McCain spoke. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested earlier in the day after a concert by the rock group Rage Against the Machine.

Police arrested more than 250 demonstrators on the convention's first day on Monday, but the streets have been relatively quiet since.