WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- The following are remarks by Senator
Dole including introduction of Congresswoman Ann Northup, as prepared for
delivery at the 2004 Republican National Convention:
Thank you ladies and gentlemen for your warm welcome. And folks, this time
I promise to stay behind the podium! For giving me the privilege and honor
of representing them in the United State Senate, let me say thank you to the
folks of the great state of North Carolina. For giving America courageous
leadership in times of trial, decisive leadership in times of crisis, we thank
you, Mr. President. You have restored honor and dignity to the White House.
The Presidency tests all who have been there. It has tested you, sir. Your
road has not been easy; your burden has not been light; yet you have displayed
the peace that surpasses all understanding. We salute you.
We live in a time of stark contrasts. Four years ago America was about to
tumble into recession. Today our economy is recovering. Four years ago, 911
was just an emergency phone number. Today, it is a call to arms. For
Republicans, through these changes and challenges, who we are and what we
believe has never wavered.
The party of Abraham Lincoln has not wandered in a desert of disbelief or
uncertainty. Led now by President Bush, this Grand Old Party is still guided
by a moral compass, its roots deep in the firm soil of timeless truths. We
still believe that character is king. We saw that lived out in the life of
Ronald ... Wilson ... Reagan.
Ronald Reagan, who called an empire evil and won the Cold War.
We still believe that liberty is the birthright of every soul. That's why
in Afghanistan women were freed from virtual slavery and given access to books
and education and a future. That's why in Afghanistan and Iraq the dark
clouds of oppression have parted for 50 million people. And until they can
clearly see the blue skies of freedom, we are standing by them!
Yet we know our true strength is not in our weapons. We are a great
nation because we are a good people. And we are a good people because of what
we believe.
We believe in the dignity of every life, the possibility of every mind,
the divinity of every soul. This is our true north - we believe in life.
The new life of a man and woman joined together under God.
Marriage is important not because it is a convenient invention or the
latest reality show -- marriage is important because it is the cornerstone of
civilization, and the foundation of the family. Marriage between a man and a
woman isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans
will defend.
We value the sacred life of every man, woman, and child. We believe in a
culture that respects all human life - including the most vulnerable in our
society, the frail elderly, the infirm, and those not yet born. Protecting
life isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans
will defend. We believe in the treasured life of faith.
Two thousand years ago a man said, " ... I have come to give life and to
give it in full." In America I have the freedom to call that man Lord, and I
do. In the United States of America we are free to worship without
discrimination, without intervention and even without activist judges trying
to strip the name of God from the Pledge of Allegiance; from the money in our
pockets; and from the walls of our courthouses. The Constitution guarantees
freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The right to worship God
isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will
defend.
We believe in the compassionate life of service. Our enemies in this war
on terror say that America is selfish, self-centered, self-obsessed. They do
not know America. As the President said, "If you want to help in the war on
terror, love your neighbor. Love your neighbor." Americans will cross town or
cross the globe to help people they've never met and will never see again. So
yes, if neighbors are hungry, we feed them; if a storm named Charley or
Francis strikes, we help them. Serving others isn't something Americans
invented, but it is a calling we'll always accept.
These are just some of the principles that guide our party. Some may call
them values. Others may call them virtues. I like to think of them simply as
the truths my parents and grandparents taught me. Despite what you might hear
on the news, they are the shared truths of the American people. They are true
from sea to shining sea - from my hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina to the
South Side of Chicago, from Little Havana to Bob Dole's Russell, Kansas, from
Madison Square Garden to the Space Needle, from Crawford, Texas to 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue.
The last century was known as the "American Century." In a single
lifetime, I have seen Americans split the atom, abolish Jim Crow, eliminate
the scourge of polio, win the Cold War, plant our flag on the surface of the
moon, map the human genetic code and belatedly recognize the talents of women,
minorities, the disabled and others once relegated to the shadows. We are
now in the earliest years of a new century ... writing another chapter in
American history.
And if we reaffirm these timeless and unchangeable truths, if we choose
life and liberty, compassion and service, character and faith, we will honor
those who came before us, and inspire the children of tomorrow. It will be
said of us that we lived in a time of great challenge, and great hopes. And
let it also be said that we loved our country ... and served her well ... and
chose leaders wisely. That is what brings us to this convention, ladies and
gentlemen.
I am honored to stand with you in support of a great American: our nominee
... our President ... George W. Bush!
Paid for by the Committee on Arrangements for the
2004 Republican National Convention
2 Penn Plaza * New York, NY 10121 * (212) 356-2004
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee
SOURCE 2004 Republican National Convention
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