NEW YORK – Republican National Convention co-stars Laura Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger commended President Bush to the country for four more years Tuesday night, hailing him as a man of strength leavened by compassion. “You can count on him, especially in a crisis,” said the first lady.
“He’s a man of perseverance. He’s a man of inner strength. He is a leader who doesn’t flinch, doesn’t waver, does not back down,” said the Austrian-born California governor in a speech that also promised recent immigrants they are welcome in the GOP.
“We Republicans admire your ambition. We encourage your dreams. We believe in your future,” said the actor-turned-politician in one of several speeches crafted to show the softer side of a party known for its conservatism.
The effort to flesh out an image of the president as something more than a resolute commander in chief resulted in something akin to a prime-time Bush family hour, with twins Jenna and Barbara teasing their father gently in a brief, joint appearance at the podium.
“We are so proud to be here tonight to introduce someone who read us bedtime stories, picked up carpool, made our favorite peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and cheered for us when we made a goal, even when it was for the wrong team,” Jenna said.
With nonviolent protests outside – police made nearly 1,000 arrests – a parade of speakers strode to the Madison Square Garden podium with a backdrop that read – “People of Compassion.” They praised the president’s efforts to battle AIDS, combat breast cancer, promote adoption and enact far-reaching educational reforms.
Both the first lady and Schwarzenegger hailed Bush’s leadership in terms that bordered on extravagant in speeches that did double political duty. For the first lady, that meant a glimpse at the personal side of her husband; for the governor, an appeal to new and unregistered voters from overseas who are not part of the president’s conservative base.
In a description of a commander in chief that most Americans never see, Laura Bush said, “I remember some very quiet nights at the dinner table” after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “George was weighing grim scenarios and ominous intelligence and potentially even more devastating attacks.”
” … 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 consequences for so many lives and the future of the world,” she said.
In her remarks, Laura Bush said that Bush’s leadership has helped 50 million men, women and children win freedom over the past four years, a reference to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I want to talk about the issue that I believe is most important for my own daughters, for all our families, and for our future: George’s work to protect our country and defeat terror so that all children can grow up in a more peaceful world,” she added.
Schwarzenegger sketched his own background for the convention and prime-time audience, from a childhood in the shadow of communism to arrival in the United States, to the man who moved from body builder to box-office star to governor of the nation’s most populous state.
He flashed his trademark bravado as well. “To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don’t be economic girlie men,” Schwarzenegger said and smiled broadly. Earlier this year, he encountered sharp criticism when he ridiculed Democratic California legislators who opposed his budget as “girlie men.”
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