Ein besonderes Ereignis für Konservative im Allgemeinen und Freunde Bushs im Besonderen war der Nominierungsparteitag der Republikaner Ende August/Anfang September 2004 im Madison Square Garden in New York. Die Stimmung im Land war für die Republikaner relativ gut und die Convention war perfekt geplant. Nach der lustigen Panne wenige Wochen zuvor bei den Demokraten (die meisten Luftballons blieben an der Decke hängen, und der Regisseur fluchte aus Versehen live im Fernsehen) lief hier alles perfekt. Der Aufwand für den Parteitag war gigantisch: so wurde zum Beispiel der Hallenboden komplett angehoben.
Sowohl die Reden als auch die musikalischen Beiträge waren ein Fest für das rote Amerika. Musik gab es unter anderem von Michael W. Smith und Daniel Rodriguez. Die Highlights der Rednerliste:
Laura Bush:
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Weitere Redner waren unter vielen anderen Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Sam Brownback, Lynne und Dick Cheney, Michael Reagan und General Tommy Franks. Am letzten Abend akzeptierte George W. Bush mit einer langen, visionären Rede die Nominierung für die Präsidentschaftskandidatur. CNN bewertete die Rede positiv, es sei mehr eine State Of The Union's Address gewesen als eine Wahlkampfveranstaltung.
George W. Bush:
God bless you, Mr. President!
Sowohl die Reden als auch die musikalischen Beiträge waren ein Fest für das rote Amerika. Musik gab es unter anderem von Michael W. Smith und Daniel Rodriguez. Die Highlights der Rednerliste:
Laura Bush:
People ask me all the time whether George has changed. He's a little grayer - and of course, he has learned and grown as we all have. But he's still the same person I met at a backyard barbecue in Midland, Texas and married three months later. And you've come to know many of the same things that I know about him. He'll always tell you what he really thinks. You can count on him, especially in a crisis. His friends don't change - and neither do his values. He has boundless energy and enthusiasm for his job, and for life itself. He treats every person he meets with dignity and respect; the same dignity and respect he has for the office he holds. And he's a loving man, with a big heart. I've seen tears as he has hugged families who've lost loved ones. I've seen him return the salute of soldiers wounded in battle. And then, being George, he's invites them to come visit us at the White House. And they've come, bringing an infectious spirit of uniquely American confidence that we are doing the right thing and that our future will be better because of our actions today.
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
We are one America - and President Bush is defending it with all his heart and soul.That's what I admire most about the President. He's a man of perseverance.
He's a man of inner strength. He is a leader who doesn't flinch, doesn't waiver, does not back down. My fellow Americans, make no mistake about it terrorism is more insidious than communism, because it yearns to destroy not just the individual but the entire international order.
The President didn't go into Iraq because the polls told him it was popular. As a matter of fact, the polls said just the opposite. But leadership isn't about polls. It's about making decisions you think are right and then standing behind those decisions. That's why America is safer with George W. Bush as President.
George W. Bush:
Mr. Chairman, delegates, fellow citizens: I am honored by your support, and I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
(...)
I am running for President with a clear and positive plan to build a safer world, and a more hopeful America. I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy: that government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. I believe this Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership and that is why, with your help, we will win this election. (...)
This election will also determine how America responds to the continuing danger of terrorism and you know where I stand. Three days after September 11th, I stood where Americans died, in the ruins of the Twin Towers. Workers in hard hats were shouting to me, "Whatever it takes." A fellow grabbed me by the arm and he said, "Do not let me down." Since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in defending America whatever it takes.
(...)
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.
God bless you, Mr. President!
