Lieberman, Bush rally behind McCain on 2nd night of RNC

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman called for Republicans and Democrats to come together and put aside politics Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

Lieberman, who emphasized that it shouldn’t take a hurricane to bring Americans together, called for politicians to help solve problems instead of tearing them apart.
“The American people don’t really care much if you have an R or a D after your name,” the Connecticut senator said. “What they care about is ‘Are we solving the problems that they’re against everyday?’”

The senator said only presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain “has shown the courage and capability to rise above the smallness of our politics.”

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“Because John McCain’s full 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,” Lieberman said.

Republicans also rallied around McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin, who is scheduled to speak tonight, showing no fear that the news of Palin’s 17-year-old daughter’s pregnancy would cause voters to question the ticket. 

But it was former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson who spoke the most freely on the coverage Palin’s daughter has received in the last two days of the convention, calling it a “media frenzy.”

“It’s clear they’ve got the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic,” Thompson said. “And no wonder. She’s a courageous reformer who is not afraid to take on the establishment. Sound like anybody else we know?”

Thompson also freely took jabs at Barack Obama’s popular slogans, saying only McCain has “character you can believe in,” and also calling Obama the “most liberal inexperienced nominee to ever run for president.”

Earlier in the evening, via satellite from the White House, President George W. Bush heaped overwhelming praise on McCain, highlighting several issues of his platform and emphasizing his experience above all. 

Bush said McCain has often put his presidential campaign at risk to defend what he believes.

“He told them he would rather lose an election than see his country lose a war,” Bush said. “That is the kind of vision and courage we need in our next commander-in-chief.”
Bush emphasized McCain’s time as a prisoner of war when he was offered release above others who had been there longer, but refused, staying five years longer, Bush said.

“When he was released, his arms had been broken, but not his honor,” Bush said.
As Republicans left the first real day of their party’s convention, Lieberman spoke to members of all parties and asked voters to “vote for the person you believe is best for our country, not for the party you happen to belong to,” he said.