Day One (or is it two?) of the Republican Convention

OK, I'll count it as day one, since Mr. (Hurricane) Gustav owned yesterday.  

A few headlines and memorable lines from tonight: 

First, from the USA Today: "Eight years after he accepted the vice presidential nomination at the Democratic convention, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the featured speaker Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, made the case for Republican candidate John McCain.  'I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party,' Lieberman said.  'I am here tonight for a simple reason, 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.'   'When others wanted to retreat from the field of battle, when Barak Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge,' Lieberman said.  'And because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor.'"

A laugh-out-loud line from Senator Fred Thompson in his amazingly good bio of McCain (though this line was about VP nominee Palin): "And I can say without fear of contradiction that she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose...with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt...She and John McCain are not going to care how much the alligators get irritated when they get to Washington, they're going to drain that swamp." 

(Thompson on McCain as a POW in Vietnam): "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 he could see through a crack in a door.

 We hear a lot of talk about hope.

 John McCain knows about hope.  That's all he had to survive on.  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 his shoulders back.

 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 beaten for NOT communicating with so-called "peace delegations." 

He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations.

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

 Whenever John was returned to his cell — walking if he could, dragged if he couldn't — as he passed his fellow POWs, he would call out to them.

 He'd smile ... and 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.

Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be President.

 But it does reveal character.

 This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders.

 Strength.

 Courage.

 Humility.

 Wisdom.

 Duty.

 Honor.

 It's pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, "Who is this man?" and "Can we trust this man with the Presidency?" 

(Thompson on the Democrats): "To deal with these challenges [to our nation] the Democrats present a history making nominee for president.

 History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President.  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.

 Together, they would take on these urgent challenges with protectionism, higher taxes and an even bigger bureaucracy." 

(Thompson on Obama's tax proposals): "Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

 They tell you they are 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 big or a small "business", don't worry ... it's not going to affect you.

 They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the "other" side of the bucket!  That's their idea of tax reform." 

"John McCain cannot raise his arms above his shoulders.

 He cannot salute the flag of the country for which he sacrificed so much.  Tonight, as we begin this convention week, yes, we stand with him.

 And we salute him."

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Anyhow, it was a strong night and the combination of President Bush, Senator Thompson, and Senator Lieberman all giving strong testament to McCain's character - from their very different perspectives - was impressive.