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Campbell Brown

Fred Thompson Addresses Republican National Convention

Aired September 02, 2008 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LAURA BUSH: Thank you all very much.
For the past eight years, I have seen the burdens of the presidency up close. John McCain has what it takes to face the challenges that lie ahead and he has the support of America's next first lady, Cindy McCain.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

L. BUSH: This year alone, Cindy has discussed land mine removal with Kosovo's president and prime minister. She's met with children undergoing reconstructive surgery in Vietnam.

She's listened to stories from survivors of genocide in Rwanda and she's comforted Georgian refugees who've fled their homes in South Ossetia.

If Cindy can do all of this just in the last eight months, imagine what she can do in next four years in the White House.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

L. BUSH: The American people can expect great things from John and Cindy McCain. And President Bush and I can tell John and Cindy that they can expect great things from the American people.

We leave the White House with deep gratitude for your support. Our lives have been enriched by the generosity of citizens across our country, the children who welcomed us to their schools with songs and signs, the volunteers, church pastors and city mayors who shared stories of caring for those in need, the members of the military and their families who answered our nation's call to serve, and those who've approached us with the simple and humbling words, "We're praying for you."

Thank you very much for your encouragement and your prayers. Thank you for your support of the next president and first lady of the United States, John and Cindy McCain.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

L. BUSH: May God bless you all, and may God bless America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NARRATOR: He was born the son of a hard-drinking, wisecracking shoe salesman. His father ran up the stairs, looked at him and said that he looked like a fat little Dutchman.

Young Dutch worked as a sports broadcaster, found his way to Hollywood, and became a B-movie star. But Ronald Reagan never forgot who he was, an American, a Midwesterner, and a leader who would always put his country first.

The media despised him. They said he was an outsider. They called him a California nutcase. And some dare breathed the word maverick.

In the election of 1980, he faced Jimmy Carter. But Ronald Reagan knew who he was and what he could do. He would replace Carter's indecision with conviction politics. His platform was simple: lower taxes, less regulation, and getting government off your back.

Like Abe Lincoln, Reagan possessed a secret weapon: humor.

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I walked in, they were just concluding a meeting in the hospital of all the doctors associated with the hospital. Sure, when I saw all those doctors surround me, too, I said, I hope they were all Republicans.

(LAUGHTER)

NARRATOR: Americans loved the new president's confidence in America. He inspired a movement called the Reagan Revolution.

One of its foot soldiers was soon to be a congressman, his name, John McCain. Reagan told his White House staffers that he hated taxes, inflation, and the Soviets. By 1983, inflation fell, unemployment fell, interest rates went down, and millions of jobs were created.

Reagan brought an unprecedented economic expansion. He led from strength and broke the self-confidence of the evil empire of communism.

He had a partner. Her name was Nancy.

The day after he was shot, he wrote some words in his diary: "I opened my eyes to find Nancy there. I pray I will never face a day when she isn't there. Of all the ways God has blessed me, giving her to me is the greatest and beyond anything I could ever hope to deserve."

By putting country first, Ronald Reagan saved our America, saved our century, and changed the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the former senator from Tennessee, the honorable Fred Thompson.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

FRED THOMPSON, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Thank you.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Thank you very much.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Thank you. Thank you.

Well, my friends, as -- yes, thank you very much.

As has been mentioned, our thoughts are still with our friends and fellow citizens in the Gulf Coast. And our special thanks go to those who have worked so hard to keep them safe. There can be no more important work than that. But...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: But what we're doing at this convention is also important to our country, because we're going to nominate the next president and vice president of the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: We do so while taking a different view of our country than that of the other party. Listening to them, you'd think that we were in the middle of a great depression, that we're down, disrespected, incapable of prevailing against challenges that face us.

Now, we know that we have challenges, always have, always will.

THOMPSON: But we also know that we live in the freest, strongest, most generous and prosperous nation in the history of the world, and we're thankful for that.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, speaking of the vice-presidential nominee, what a breath of fresh air Governor Sarah Palin is.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, she's from a small town with small-town values, but apparently that's not good enough for some of the folks who are out there now attacking her and her family. Some Washington pundits and media big-shots are in a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: I say -- I say give me a tough Alaskan governor who has taken on the political establishment in the largest state of the union and won over the Beltway business-as-usual crowd any day of the week.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: But it's pretty clear the selection of Governor Palin has got the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. And no wonder: She's a courageous, successful, reformer who's not afraid to take on the establishment.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Sound like anybody else we know?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: She has run a municipality, and she's run a state. And I think I can say without fear of contradiction she's the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: ... with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt. OK.

When she and John McCain get to Washington, they're not going to care how much the alligators get irritated. They're going to drain that swamp.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: But tonight, my friends, I would like to talk to you about the remarkable story of John McCain. It's a story about character.

John McCain's character has been tested like no other presidential candidate in the history of this nation. He comes from a military family whose service goes -- to our country goes back to the time of the Revolutionary War. The tradition continues.

As I speak, John and Cindy McCain have one son who's just finished his first tour in Iraq and another son...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: ... going back for his second one on Christmas Day, I understand. And another...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: And another son who's putting his country first in attending the Naval Academy.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, we have a number of the McCains in the audience tonight. And I just want you to know, I understand they have been introduced, but I understand -- I want you to understand how proud we are of you and how much we thank you for what you're doing for your country.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Cindy is here with all the children. All the children are here, I believe.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: John is also -- also here tonight is John's 96-year- old mother Roberta.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: All I got to say is if -- is if Ms. Roberta had been the McCain captured by the North Vietnamese, they would have surrendered.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, John's father was a bit of a rebel, too. In his first two semesters at the Naval Academy, he managed to earn 333 demerits. Unfortunately, John later saw that as a record to be beaten.

(LAUGHTER)

THOMPSON: A rebellious mother and a rebellious father, I guess you can see where this is going. In high school and the Naval Academy, John earned the reputation as a troublemaker. But as John points out, he wasn't just a troublemaker; he was the leader of the troublemakers.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Although -- although loaded with demerits like his father, John was principled even in rebellion. He never violated the honor code.

However, in flight school in Pensacola, he did drive a Corvette and date a girl who worked in a bar as an exotic dancer under the name of Marie, the Flame of Florida.

Now, the reason I'm telling you these things -- the reason I'm telling you these things are that apparently this mixture of rebellion and honor helped John McCain survive the next chapter in his life.

John McCain was preparing to take off from the USS Forrestal for his sixth mission over Vietnam when a missile from another plane accidentally fired and hit his plane. The flight deck burst into a fireball of jet fuel, and John's flight suit caught fire. He was hit by shrapnel.

It was a scene of horrible human devastation. Men sacrificed their lives to save others that day. One kid, who John couldn't identify because he was burned beyond recognition, called out to John to ask if a certain pilot was OK. John replied, "Yes, he was." The young sailor said, "Thank God," and then he died.

These are the kind of men John McCain served with. These are the men and women John McCain knows and understands and loves. If you want to know who John McCain is, if you want to know what John McCain values, look at the men and women who wear America's uniform today.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: The fire on the Forrestal burned for two days. Twenty planes were destroyed; 134 sailors died. John himself barely dodged death in the inferno and could have returned to the states with the ship.

Instead, he volunteered for combat on another carrier that was undermanned from having lost so many pilots, stepping up, putting his country first.

Three months later, John McCain was a prisoner of war. On October 26, 1967, on his 23rd mission over North Vietnam, a surface- to-air missile slammed into John's A-4 Skyhawk jet, blowing it out of the sky.

When John ejected, part of the plane hit him, breaking his right leg, his right knee, his left arm, and right arm in three places. An angry mob got to him when he fell to the ground. A rifle butt broke his shoulder. A bayonet pierced his ankle and his groin.

They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days. He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return. John McCain said no.

After days of neglect, covered in grime, laying in his own waste in a filthy room, a doctor attempted to set John's right arm without success and without anesthesia. His other broken bones and injuries were not treated.

John developed a high fever and dysentery. He weighed barely 100 pounds. Expecting him to die, his captors placed him in a cell with two other POWs who also expected him to die. But with their help, John McCain fought on. He persevered.

So then they put him in solitary confinement for over two years, isolation, incredible heat, beating on a tin roof, a light bulb in his cell burning 24 hours a day, boarded up cell windows blocking any breath of fresh air.

The oppressive heat causing boils the size of baseballs under his arms. The outside world limited to what you could see through a crack in the door.

We hear a lot of talk about hope these days. John McCain knows about hope; that's all he had. For propaganda purposes, his captors offered to let him go home. John McCain refused.

He refused to leave ahead of men who'd been there longer. He refused to abandon his conscience and his honor, even for his freedom. He refused, even though his captors warned him, "It will be very bad for you." They were right; it was.

The guards cracked ribs, broke teeth off at the gums. They cinched a rope around his arms and painfully drew back his shoulders. Over four days, every two to three hours, the beatings resumed. During one especially fierce beating, he fell, again breaking his arm.

John was beaten for communicating with other prisoners. He was beating -- beaten for not communicating with so-called peace delegations. He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations.

When his captors wanted to know the names of the other pilots in the squadron, John gave them the name of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers.

(LAUGHTER)

THOMPSON: Whenever John was returned to his cell -- walking if he could, dragged if he couldn't -- as he passed his other fellow POWs, he would often call out to them. He'd smile, give them a thumbs-up.

For five-and-a-half years, this went on. John McCain's bones may have been broken, but his spirit never was.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, being a POW doesn't qualify anyone to be president, but it does reveal character. My friends...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: ... this is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of our history have sought in their leaders.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor. It's pretty clear there are two questions that we'll never have to ask ourselves: Who is this man? And can we trust this man with the presidency?

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: He's been to -- he's been to Iraq eight times since 2003. He went seeking truth, not publicity. When he travels abroad, he prefers quietly speaking...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: ... he prefers quietly speaking to the troops amidst the heat and hardships of their daily lives.

And the same character that marked John McCain's military career has also marked his political career. This man, John McCain, is not intimidated by what the polls say or by what is politically safe or popular.

At a point in time when the war in Iraq was going badly and the public lost confidence, John stood up and called for more troops. And now we're winning.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

THOMPSON: Ronald Reagan -- Ronald Reagan was John McCain's hero. And President Reagan admired John tremendously.

But when the president proposed putting U.S. troops in Beirut, John McCain, a freshman congressman, stood up and cast a vote against his hero because he thought the deployment was a mistake. My friends, that is character you can believe in.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: For years, members of Congress, Republican and Democrat alike, have gouged the taxpayer with secret earmark spending. Well, he has never sought an earmark.

I have experienced John's character...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: I have experienced John's character firsthand. In 1993, when I was thinking of running for the Senate, I went to John for advice. He convinced me I could help make a difference for our country. I managed to win that election. And with Republican control of Congress, we reformed welfare, we balanced the budget, and we began rebuilding our military. And what I remember...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: And what I remember most about those days is sitting next to John on the Senate floor as he led battle after battle to change the acrimonious, pork-barreling, self-serving ways of Washington.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Now, the United States Senate has always had more than its share of smooth-talkers and big-talkers. And, obviously, it still has.

But while others were talking reform, John McCain led efforts to make reform happen, always pressing, always moving for what he believed was right and necessary to restore the people's faith in their government. Confronting when necessary, reaching across the aisle when possible, John personified why we all came to Washington in the first place.

It didn't always set too well with some of his colleagues. Some of those fights were losing efforts; some were not. But a man who never quits is never defeated.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Because John McCain stood up, his country is better off. The respect he's given around the world is not because of a Teleprompter speech designed to appeal to America's critics abroad...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: No, it's not that. It's not because of that, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship.

There has never been a time in our nation's history, since we first pledged allegiance to the American flag, when the character, judgment, and leadership of our president was more important.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Terrorists, rogue nations developing nuclear weapons, an increasingly belligerent Russia, intensifying competition from China, spending at home that threatens to bankrupt future generations, for decades, an expanding government, increasingly wasteful and too often incompetent, to deal with these challenges, the Democrats present a history-making nominee for president, history-making in that he's the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for president.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

THOMPSON: Apparently, apparently, they believe that he would match up well with the history-making Democrat-controlled Congress, history-making because it's the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation's history.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

Together, they would take on these urgent challenges with protectionism, higher taxes, and an even bigger bureaucracy, and a Supreme Court that would be lost to liberalism for a generation.

This is not reform, and it's certainly not change. It's basically the same, old stuff they've been peddling for years.

(APPLAUSE)

America -- America needs a president who understands the nature of the world we live in, a president who feels no need to apologize for the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

We need a president -- we need a president who understands that you don't make citizens prosperous by making Washington richer, and you don't... (APPLAUSE)

... and you don't lift an economic downturn by imposing one of the largest tax increases in American history.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, our opponents tell us not to worry about their tax increases. They tell you they're not going to tax your family. No, they're just going to tax businesses. So unless you buy something from a business, like groceries or clothes or gasoline, or unless you get a paycheck from a business, a big business or a small business, don't worry, it's not going to affect you.

(APPLAUSE)

They say they're not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the other side of the bucket.

(LAUGHTER)

That's their idea of tax reform. My friends, we need a leader who stands on principle. We need a president and vice president who will take the federal bureaucracy by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shaking.

(APPLAUSE)

And, my friends, we need a president who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade.

(APPLAUSE)

The man who will be that president is John McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

In the days ahead -- in the days ahead at this convention, you'll hear a lot more about what John will do as president, what he'll do with regard to the economy, on energy, on health care and the environment. It's not my role tonight to explain that vision. It's my role to hopefully help remind you of the man behind the vision. Because tonight our country is calling to all of us to step up, and to stand up, and put country first with John McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

Tonight we're being called upon to do what is right for our country, what is right for our country. Tonight we're being called upon to stand up for a strong military, a mature foreign policy, a free and growing economy, and for the values that bind us together and keep our nation free.

Tonight we're being called upon to step up and stand up with John, just as he has stood up for our country. (APPLAUSE)

Our country is calling. Our country is calling.

And John McCain can't raise his arms above his shoulders. He can't salute the flag of the country for which he's sacrificed so much.

Tonight, as we begin this convention, we stand with him, and we salute him. We salute his character and his courage, his spirit of independence and his drive for reform, his vision to bring security and peace in our time, and continued prosperity for America and all of our citizens.

For our own good, our children's, let us celebrate that vision, celebrate that belief, that faith, so we can keep America the greatest country that the world has ever seen.

BLITZER: Delivering some red meat here to this Republican convention, clearly making the case for John McCain and against Barack Obama. Donna Brazile, our Democratic strategist, what did you think?

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I thought that it was good red meat for those here on the floor to get up and stretch their legs. But will they get working families back on their feet? We're entering the sixth month of job loss. Eight hundred thousand Americans fell into poverty last month.

It was a great speech. We honor John McCain's service, but will it get the country back on its feet so that we can go back down the road to prosperity again?

BLITZER: David Gergen, what did you think?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I just thought I love rip-roaring politics. He threw down the gauntlet tonight, and I think it brought this convention to life and energized the people in the hall. And I think will energize a lot of Republicans.

I thought the most effective part of his speech was reselling John McCain's story, personal story. I don't think I've ever heard a rendition quite as effective as that in details. He's a very good -- Fred Thompson is a very good storyteller. On the political stuff, you know, there are going to be a heck of a lot of people are going to be angry out there, listening to all that. He didn't really say about -- much about the economic accomplishments of the last eight years, because they haven't been all that good.

But I must tell you that this is what conventions are all about: to tell that story more starkly on each side and let voters decide. And I think tonight he helped the Republicans, but there are going to be an awful lot of angry Democrats out there.

BLITZER: Anderson, you know, as we wait for Joe Lieberman momentarily, he's going to be speaking. And we got to point out, only eight years ago he was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. Now he's at this Republican convention.

COOPER: And his wife is sitting next to Cindy McCain.

BLITZER: Hadassah Lieberman is sitting right there next to Cindy McCain, as well. He's going to give a little different speech than we just heard from Fred Thompson.

COOPER: It was also interesting, John King, to hear Fred Thompson coming back-to-back after Laura Bush, then the president, then the video on Ronald Reagan. Not an accident that, you say, there was no break between?

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not an accident at all. And I would note that the first red meat at the convention came from the lady in the red dress, Laura Bush, giving a remarkably political speech for her.

And then President Bush giving a strikingly political speech from a spot in the White House that you often see the president standing next to prime ministers at a news conference in the cross hall.

And then, I would say, very smartly from a Republican perspective, they went to straight to that moving Ronald Reagan video so that we could not stand here and talk about, well, will John McCain be linked to George Bush? Will George Bush be a blessing or a liability?

COOPER: There was no break between the president's speech and the video about Ronald Reagan.

KING: There was nothing in this program, nor was there anything at the Democratic convention, mind you -- but everything at this program is done just as it is for a political calculation. They wanted to move on from George W. Bush, who is in some places in the country, baggage to John McCain, to the story to Ronald Reagan, which in this hall and for any American watching is a nostalgic trip back in time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've got the red meat from Fred Thompson. It kind of built. And next from Joe Lieberman, you're going to get a call for bipartisanship. BLITZER: And here he comes right now, Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice-presidential nominee.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you so very much for that warm welcome. You'd have to be me to know how much it appreciate -- I appreciate it. I'm really honored to be here tonight. Dear friends, as you well know, we meet tonight in the wake of a terrible storm that's hit the Gulf Coast, but that really hurts all of us, no matter where we live, because we are all members of our larger American family. Right?

(APPLAUSE)

At times like this, we set aside all that divides us, and we come together to help our fellow Americans in need. The last thing we think about is whether one of the victims was a Democrat or a Republican, because we're all Americans.

(APPLAUSE)

You know, the sad truth is that it shouldn't take a hurricane to bring us together like this. Every day...

(APPLAUSE)

Every day across our country, millions of our fellow citizens are facing very big and real problems. They're worried about their homes and their jobs, their businesses. They're worried about the outrageous cost of gasoline and health insurance, and they are worried about the threats from our enemies abroad.

(APPLAUSE)

But when they look to Washington, all too often they don't see their leaders coming together to tackle these problems. Instead, they see Democrats and Republicans fighting each other, rather than fighting for the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

I don't have to tell you that we were blessed in this country to have a great generation of founders. And they foresaw the danger of this kind of senseless partisanship.

In fact, our first president, George Washington, in his farewell address, warned that the spirit of party could be the worst enemy of our democracy and enfeeble our government's ability to do its job.

My friends, I think tonight we can say that President Washington was absolutely right. The truth is, today we are living through his worst nightmare in the capital city that bears his name.

(APPLAUSE)

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? (APPLAUSE)

Well, I'll tell you what: I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party. (APPLAUSE)

I am here tonight for a simple reason. John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead America forward.

And, dear friends, I am here tonight because John McCain's whole life testifies to a great truth: Being a Democrat or a Republican is important, but it is nowhere near as important as being an American.

(APPLAUSE)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

LIEBERMAN: I think you know that both of the presidential candidates this year have talked about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and the special interests that are poisoning our politics, but, my friends, only one of them has actually done it.

LIEBERMAN: Only one of them 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 one is John S. McCain.

(APPLAUSE)

You know John, and you know that he understands that it shouldn't take a natural disaster like a hurricane to get us to take off our partisan blinders and work together to get things done.

It shouldn't take a natural disaster to teach us that the American people really don't care much if you have an "R" or a "D" after your name. What they care about is, are we solving the problems they're against every day?

Let me tell you. What you can expect from John McCain as president is precisely what he's done this week: put our country first.

(APPLAUSE)

That's not -- that's not a political posture by John. That's the code by which he has lived his entire life, and that is the code that he will carry with him into the White House next January.

Now, let me tell you that I've had the privilege of serving with John for almost 20 years and the honor of becoming a dear friend of his. I've personally seen him over and over again bringing people together from both parties to tackle our toughest problems, for example, to reform our campaign finance laws, our lobbying and ethics laws, to create the independent 9/11 Commission after that great natural disaster -- that great unnatural disaster caused by the terrorists, and then to work to pass the national security reforms that have made every American safer since then.

And then he worked together to end the partisan paralysis over nominations to the Supreme Court and other federal courts. This is the record.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, let me share something with you that I'm in a unique position to do as a Democrat. My Democratic friends know all about John's record of independence and accomplishment. And you see, that's why I think some of them are spending so much time and so much money trying to convince the American people that John McCain is someone else.

I am here to tell you what I think you know, but I want to speak to the people out there. Don't be fooled by some of these political statements and advertisements. Trust me: God only made one John McCain, and he is his own man.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me, as John would say, give you some straight talk here. If John McCain was just another go-along partisan politician, he never would have taken on corrupt Republican lobbyists, or big corporations that were cheating the American people, or powerful colleagues in Congress who were wasting taxpayer money. But he did.

If John McCain was another go-along partisan politician, he never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system or actually do something about global warming. But he did.

LIEBERMAN: As a matter of fact, friends...

(APPLAUSE)

... if John McCain is just another partisan Republican, then I'm Michael Moore's favorite Democrat.

(APPLAUSE)

And I'm not. And I think you know that I'm not.

(LAUGHTER)

Senator Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who I think can do great things for our country in the years ahead, but, my friends, eloquence is no substitute for a record, not in these tough times for America.

(APPLAUSE)

In the Senate, during the three-and-a-half years that Senator Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to get accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party to get something done. And I'd just ask you to contrast that with John McCain's record of independence and bipartisanship, but let me go one further. And this may make history here at this Republican convention.

Let me contrast Barack Obama's record to the record of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic interest groups, worked with Republicans, and got some important things done, like welfare reform, free trade agreements, and a balanced budget.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, I'm honored to say just a word about the great lady that John McCain has selected as his running mate.

Governor Palin, like John McCain, is a reformer. She's taken on the special interests and the political power-brokers in Alaska and reached across party lines to get things done. The truth is, she is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington.

(APPLAUSE)

That's why -- that's why I sincerely believe that the real ticket for change this year is the McCain-Palin ticket.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me tell you, friends, that the Washington bureaucrats and the power-brokers are not going to be able to build a pen that will hold in these two mavericks. It's just not possible.

Together, I think we can count on John and Sarah to fight for America and to fight for you, the American people. And that's what our country needs most right now.

(APPLAUSE)

We all know it: These are tough times here at home, and we have dangerous enemies in the world. And what America needs now, frankly, is not more party unity. What we need now is more national unity.

(APPLAUSE)

And this is especially true, of course, because we are a nation at war. We need a president we can count on to fight for what's right for our country, not only when it's easy, but when it's hard.

And I was there, so I can tell you, when others were silent about the war in Iraq, John McCain had the guts and the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. You know...

(APPLAUSE)

... when others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, which would have been a disaster for the USA, when colleagues like Barack Obama were voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield...

(AUDIENCE BOOS)

LIEBERMAN: ... John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion, advocate the surge, support the surge, and, because of that today, America's troops are coming home, thousands of them, and they're coming home in honor.

(APPLAUSE)

LIEBERMAN: My -- my friends, I have had the privilege and I'd say the pleasure of traveling the world with John McCain, even with Lindsey Graham it was a pleasure.

(LAUGHTER)

But I speak of John and I say that I can tell you from these travels how much he's respected, and admired, and liked by leaders across the globe. John McCain will be a president our allies will trust and our enemies will fear. And that's the kind of president we need in today's world.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, before I conclude, I want to ask the indulgence of all of you here in this hall tonight, because I want to speak directly to my fellow Democrats and independents who are watching or listening tonight. I want to -- I want to speak directly to you out there.

I know many of you are angry and frustrated by our government and our politics today, and for good reason. You may be thinking of voting for John McCain, but you're not sure yet. Some of you may never have voted for a Republican before. And, frankly, in an ordinary election, you probably never would.

But I want you to believe with me that this is no ordinary election, because...

(APPLAUSE)

And it's no ordinary election because these are not ordinary times. And trust me: John McCain is no ordinary candidate.

(APPLAUSE)

You may not agree with John McCain on every issue, but you can always count on him to be straight with you about where he stands and to stand for what he thinks is right for our country, regardless of the politics.

I can tell you with a certain faith that as president you can count on John McCain to be what he is naturally, a restless reformer who will clean up Washington and get our government working again for all of the American people.

(APPLAUSE) So, tonight, I want to ask you, whether you are an independent, a Reagan Democrat, a Clinton Democrat, or just a plain-old Democrat, this year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for our country, not for the party you happen to belong to.

(APPLAUSE)

I ask those of you who are watching or listening, vote for the leader who, since the age of 17, when he first raised his hand and took an oath to defend and protect our Constitution, has always put America first.

My friends...

(APPLAUSE)

... I appeal to independents, Democrats, and Republicans. Let's come together this November to make a great American patriot, John McCain, our next great president. (APPLAUSE)

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

BLITZER: Anybody who knows Joe Lieberman knows he was speaking from the heart. He greatly admires and appreciates John McCain.