NEW YORK-Republicans gathered in a hostile New York City to renominate President Bush this week, in a convention that featured a strong emphasis on national security as well as stinging attacks on the Democratic ticket.
The crowded, high-security arena of Madison Square Garden still felt like a party as Republicans let loose, dressing in outrageous costumes, dancing to the music and collecting pins from various delegations.
The centerpiece of the convention was Bush's Thursday night acceptance speech. Claiming America must not show weakness, Bush said the nation will extend the frontiers of freedom to the rest of the world.
Stressing Sen. John Kerry's, D-Mass., proposal to raise taxes, Bush called Kerry's policies the \politics of the past.""
""We're on the path to the future, and we're not turning back,"" he said.
Bush touched upon the ongoing same-sex marriage debates and said he will support the protection of marriage against activist judges, declaring it as an institution between one man and one woman.
The final crux of his speech concerned the war in Iraq. Bush said the United States went to war ""not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake."" He said the decision to go to war was a decision no president would ask for, but was one he had to make to defend the United States.
""We must, and we will, confront threats to America before it is too late,"" he said.
A main theme among many of the other speakers was the need for strong national security in a post-Sept. 11 world, and the importance of supporting preventive military action such as the war in Iraq.
According to Vice President Dick Cheney, Bush's resolve is what differentiates him from his opponent.
""[John Kerry] declared at the Democratic National Convention that he will forcefully defend America after we have been attacked,"" he said. ""My fellow Americans, we have already been attacked and faced with an enemy who seeks the deadliest of weapons to use against us; we cannot wait for the next attack. We must do everything we can to prevent it, and that includes the use of military force.""
Speechmakers also focused their ire on Democratic nominees Kerry and Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., in a way that many commentators thought was excessively negative. Particularly condemned by some observers were Cheney and Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., who attacked Kerry as a flip-flopper who was weak on defense.
Disaffected Democrat Miller's speech drew plenty of criticism from the press. Miller accused Kerry of being anti-military and voting against several weapons systems. When reporter Chris Matthews told him Cheney had opposed many of those same systems, Miller said he wished he could challenge Matthews to a duel.
Outside the doors of the convention, hundreds of thousands of protesters swarmed New York City this week as well, leading to almost 2,000 arrests but little violence.
The biggest protest, Sunday's United for Peace and Justice March against the war in Iraq, attracted over 500,000 marchers.
Protester Victoria Stong, from Long Island City, Queens, was protesting for police and fire benefits and immigrant rights.
She was affected directly by the Sept. 11 attacks and was profiled in The New York Times as the ""Flag Lady"" for her support of police and fire services.
""In history, they have never had this many protesters fighting for so many issues,"" she added. ""Something is wrong with the Bush Administration because otherwise we wouldn't be setting a record here this week.""
Not all protesters were opposed to the Republicans. Jeremiah Baldwin, of North Carolina, was engaged in arguments with several liberal protesters about his ""Trust God and President Bush"" sign.
""I'm out here preaching about the Lord Jesus Christ and to support President Bush,"" he said. ""This plays out as anti-protesting, because so many protesters are anti-American, anti-Bush, anti-God.""
But Terry Costa, a Vietnam veteran whose daughter fought in Iraq, says he is not anti-American, just anti-Bush.
""I'm here so no more people will die in Iraq,"" he said. ""They started a war; they took $115 billion out of the economy and used it to kill people. They should have learned from Vietnam.\
