[applause and cheering] mr. Miller thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Since i last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born. Four greatgrandchildren. Along with all of the other members of the close knit family, they are our most precious possessions. I know that is how you feel about your family also. Like you, i think of their future. The promises and perils they will face. I believe the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. Like you, i ask which leader is it that has the vision, willpower, and backbone to best protect my family . The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. [cheers and applause] there is but one man to whom i am willing to entrust their future, and that mans name is george w. Bush. [cheers and applause] in the summer of 1940, i was an eightyearold boy living in a remote appalachian valley. Our country was not yet at war, but even we children knew there were crazy men across the ocean who would kill us if they could. President roosevelt told america all private lives have been in a sense repealed by an overriding public danger. In 1940, Wendell Wilkie was the republican nominee. There is no better example of someone repealing their private plans than this good man. He gave roosevelt the critical support he needed for peace time draft, an unpopular idea. He made it clear he would rather lose the election than make National Security a partisan campaign issue. [cheers and applause] shortly before he died, he told a friend that if he could write his own epitaph and had to choose between here lies a president or here lies one who contributed to saving freedom, he would prefer the latter. Where are such statesmen today . Where is the bipartisanship in this country when we need it most . [cheers and applause] the same time Young Americans are dying in sands of iraq, the mountains of afghanistan, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of a democrats obsession to bring down our commanderinchief. What has happened to the party i spent my life working in . I can remember when democrats believed it was the duty of america to fight for freedom over tyranny. It was president harry truman who pushed the red army out of iran and came to the aid of greece when communists threatened to overthrow it. In west berlin, flying in supplies and saving the city. Time after time in our history in the face of great danger, democrats and republicans worked together to ensure that freedoms would not falter, but not today. Motivated more by partisan politics, todays Democratic Leaders see america as an occupier, not a liberator, and nothing makes this marine madder than someone calling american troops occupiers rather than liberators. [cheers and applause] tell that to the one half of europe that was freed because Franklin Roosevelt led an army of liberators, not occupiers. Tell that to the lower half of the Korean Peninsula that is free because Dwight Eisenhower commanded an army of liberators, not occupiers. Tell that to the halfbillion men, women, and children who are free from poland to siberia because Ronald Reagan rebuilt a military of liberators, not occupiers. Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more of the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the american soldier. And our soldiers dont just give freedom abroad, they preserve it for us here at home. It has been said so truthfully that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. [cheers and applause] it is the solider, not the poet who have given us free speech. It is the soldiers, not the agitators, who have given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom he abuses to burn that flag. [cheers and applause] no one should dare to even think about being the commander in chief of this country if he doesnt believe with all his heart that our soldiers are liberators abroad and defenders of freedom at home. [cheers and applause] but dont waste your breath telling that to the leaders of my party. In their warped way of thinking, america is the problem, not the solution. They dont believe there is any real danger in the world except that which america brings upon itself through our clumsy and misguided foreign policy. It is not their patriotism, it is their judgment that has been so sorely lacking. They claimed carters pacifism would lead to peace. They were wrong. They claimed reagans defense buildup would lead to war. They were wrong. And no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often, than the two senators from massachusetts, ted kennedy and john kerry. [cheers and applause] together, kennedykerry have opposed the Weapons Systems that won the cold war and that are now winning the war on terror. Listing all the weapon systems that senator kerry tried his best to shut down sounds like an auctioneer selling off our National Security. But americans need to know the facts. The b1 bomber that senator kerry opposed dropped 40 of the bombs in the First Six Months of enduring freedom. The b2 bomber that senator kerry opposed delivered airstrikes against the taliban in afghanistan and husseins command post in iraq. The f14 tomcat that senator kerry opposed shot down qaddafis libyan mig. The f14d that senator kerry opposed delivered missile strikes against tora bora. The Apache Helicopter that senator kerry opposed took out those Republican Guard tanks in kuwait in the gulf war. The f15 eagles that senator kerry opposed flew over our Nations Capital and this very city after 9 11. I could go on and on and on against the Patriot Missile that shot down saddam husseins scud missiles over israel. Against the strategic defense initiative, against the trident missile, against, against, against. This is in the man who wants to be the commanderinchief of the u. S. Armed forces . [crowd booing] u. S. Forces armed with what . Spitballs . [cheering and applause] 20 years of votes can tell you much more about a man than 20 weeks of campaign rhetoric. Campaign talk tells people who you want them to think you are. How you vote tells people who you really are deep inside. [cheering and applause] senator kerry has made it clear that he will use military force only if approved by the united nations. [crowd booing] kerry would let paris decide when America Needs defending. I want bush to decide. John kerry who says he doesnt like outsourcing, wants to outsource our National Security. Thats the most dangerous outsourcing of all. This politician wants to be leader of the free world, free for how long . For more than 20 years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, john kerry has been more wrong, more weak, and more wobbly than any other national figure. [cheering and applause] as a war protester, he blamed our military. As a senator, he voted to weaken our military. Nothing shows that more sadly and more clearly than his vote this year to deny protective armor for our troops in harms way far away. [crowd booing] george w. Bush understands need new strategies to meet new threats. John kerry wants to refight yesterdays war. President bush believes we have to fight todays war and be ready for tomorrows challenges. [applause] president bush is committed to providing the kinds of forces it takes to root out terrorists, no matter what spider hole they may hide in or what rock they crawl under. [applause] george w. Bush wants to grab terrorists by the throat and not let them go to get a better grip. John kerry, they get a yes, no, maybe bowl of mush. They can only encourage our enemies and confuse our friends. I first got to know george w. Bush when we served as governors together. I admire this man and i am moved by the respect he shows the first lady, his unabashed love for his parents and daughters. [applause] and the fact that he is unashamed of his belief that god is not indifferent to america. [cheering and applause] i can identify with someone who has lived that line in amazing grace, i was blind but now i see, and i like the fact that he is the same man on a saturday night that he is on sunday morning. [cheering and applause] he is not a slick talker, but a straight shooter. And where i come from, deeds mean a lot more than words. I have knocked on the door of this mans soul and found someone home. A godfearing man with a good heart and a spine of tempered steel. [applause] the man i trust to protect my most precious possession, my family. This election will change forever the course of history. That is not any history, it is our familys history. The only question is how. The answer lies with each of us. Like many generations before us, we have some hard choosing to do. Right now, the world cannot afford an indecisive america. Selfindulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world. In this hour of danger, our president has had the courage to stand up and this democrat is proud to stand up with him. Thank you. God bless this country and god bless george w. Bush. [cheers and applause] another party crossover speech happened four years later when Joe Lieberman spoke at the Republican Convention in st. Paul, minnesota. He was the partys Vice President ial nominee in 2000 and represented connecticut in the u. S. Senate as a democrat for 17 years before switching to independent in 2006. Joe lieberman told convention goers the reason he supported john mccain for president was country over party. [applause] sen. Lieberman thank you very much. Thank you, dear friends. [applause] thank you so much. You would have to be me to know how much i appreciate it. I am honored to be here tonight. As you well know, we meet tonight in the wake of a terrible storm that hit the gulf coast, but that really hurts all of us, no matter where we live, because we are all members of a larger american family. [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 are all americans. [applause] the sad truth is it shouldnt take a hurricane to bring us together like this. Every day across our country, millions of our fellow citizens are facing very big and real problems. They are worried about their homes and jobs and businesses. They are 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 dont 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 dont 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 governments ability to do its job. 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 im here tonight. What, after all, is a democrat like me doing at a Republican Convention like this . [applause] well, ill tell you what. Im here to support john mccain because country matters more than party. [cheering and applause] i am here tonight for a simple reason. John mccain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead america forward. [applause] and, dear friends, i am here tonight because john mccains 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. [cheering and applause] [crowd chanting usa] mr. Lieberman i think you know that both of the president ial candidates this year have talked about changing the culture of washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and the special interests poisoning our politics, but, my friends, only one of them has actually done it. Only one has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallest 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 he understands it shouldnt take a Natural Disaster like a hurricane to get us to take off our partisan blinders and Work Together to get things done. It shouldnt take a Natural Disaster to teach us that the American People really dont care much if you have an r or d after your name. What they care about is are we solving the problems they are against every day . What you can expect from john mccain as president is precisely what he has done this week. Put our country [cheering and first. Applause] mr. Lieberman that is not a political posture by john, it is the code but which he has lived his entire life, and that is the code that he will carry with him into the white house next january. [applause] now, let me tell you that i have had the privilege of serving with john for almost 20 years. In the honor of becoming a dear friend of his, i have seen over and over again bringing people together from both parties to tackle our toughest problems. For example, to reform the Campaign Finance laws, our lobbying and ethics laws, to create the independent 9 11 commission after that great a Natural Disaster caused by the terrorists, and then to work to pass the National Security reforms that have made every can amir have made every american safer after 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] let me share something with you that im in a unique position to do as a democrat. My democratic friends know all about johns record of independence and accomplishment, and you see, that is 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. Dont be fooled by some of these political statements and advertisements. Trust me, god only made one john mccain, and he is his own man. [cheering and applause] mr. Lieberman let me, as john would say, give you some straight talk. If john mccain was just another goalong, partisan politician, he never would have taken on corrupt republican lobbies 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 heng partisan politician, never would have led the fight to fix our broken immigration system actually do something about global warming, but he did. As a matter of fact, friends [applause] if john mccain is just another partisan republican, than im Michael Moores favorite democrat. [laughter] [cheering and applause] and im not. And i think you know that im 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 accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful Interest Groups in the Democratic Party to get something done. And i just ask you to contrast that with john mccains record of independence and bipartisanship. But let me go one further. And this may make history here at this Republican Convention. Let me kind of contrast Barack Obamas 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] and i am honored to say just a word about the great lady that john mccain has selected as his running mate. [cheering] [applause] governor palin, like john mccain, is a reformer. She has taken on the special interests and 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 is why that is why i sincerely believe that the real ticket for change this year is the mccainpalin ticket. [cheering and applause] let me tell you, friends, that the washington bureaucrats and the powerbrokers are not going to be able to build a pen that will hold in these two mavericks. It is just not possible. [applause] together, i think we can count on john and sarah to fight or america and to fight for you, the American People, and thats 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 pr