Republicans shift to domestic issues

NEW YORK -- If Monday night was all about national security and Sept. 11, the Republican National Convention certainly took a shift toward domestic issues Tuesday, featuring first lady Laura Bush, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Secretary of Education and IU alumnus Rod Paige.\nSpeaking in the final spot Tuesday night, the first lady reflected on the first time she met President Bush and what she would say to someone unsure about re-electing him.\n"I am so proud of the way George has led our country with strength and conviction," the first lady said in front of a soft, pink background. "Tonight, I want to try and answer the question that I believe many people would ask me if we sat down for a cup of coffee or ran into each other at the store: You know him better than anyone. You've seen things no one else has seen. Why do you think we should re-elect your husband as president? As you might image, I have a lot to say about that."\nIntroduced by President Bush, who was in turn introduced by his two daughters Jenna and Barbara from a live feed on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, the first lady talked of President Bush's first campaign 25 years ago for Congress, saying she learned a lot about him then.\nLaura Bush spoke about funding and commitment to higher standards as part of the No Child Left Behind Act in the nation's schools.\nThe first lady also talked about President Bush's tax relief and how he has provided federal funding for stem-cell research, even though the Republican Party platform is against continuing research on additional human embryos.\nBut ultimately, her speech returned to the focus of Monday night: terrorism and national security.\n"All of these issues are important," she said. "But we are living in the midst of the most historic struggle my generation has ever known. The stakes are so high. So I want to talk about the issue that I believe is most important for my own daughters, for all our families and for our future: George's work to protect our country and defeat terror so that all children can grow up in a more peaceful world."\nShe spoke of a Colorado mother's sons enlisting in the armed forces after Sept. 11, 2001, to be "on the front lines of freedom."\n"The president and I want all of our men and women in uniform and their wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters to know that we appreciate their sacrifice," the first lady said.\nReminding the convention delegates that neither Abraham Lincoln nor Franklin Roosevelt wanted to go to war, her husband did not want war either.\n"But he knew the safety of America and the world depended on it," she said. "Our parents' generation confronted tyranny and liberated millions. As we do the hard work of confronting today's threat, we can also be proud that 50 million more men, women and children live in freedom today thanks to the United States of America and our allies."\nBefore the first lady spoke, Gov. Schwarzenegger addressed the convention delegates, invoking his immigrant background and saying he owes his career, family and success to the United States.\n"In this country, it doesn't make any difference where you were born," the governor said. "It doesn't make any difference who your parents were. It doesn't make any difference if, like me, you couldn't even speak English until you were in your 20s. America gave me opportunities, and my immigrant dreams came true. I want other people to get the same chances I did, the same opportunities. And I believe they can. That's why I believe in this country, that's why I believe in this party and that's why I believe in this president."\nGov. Schwarzenegger spoke of when he realized he was a Republican when he heard President Richard Nixon speak.\n"I'm proud to belong to the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party of Teddy Roosevelt, the party of Ronald Reagan and the party of George W. Bush," Gov. Schwarzenegger said. "To my fellow immigrants listening tonight, I want you to know how welcome you are in this party. We Republicans admire your ambition. We encourage your dreams. We believe in your future."\nThe governor then asked a rhetorical question if some Americans are unsure if they're Republican.\n"If you believe this country, not the United Nations, is the best hope for democracy, then you are Republican," he said.\nSchwarzenegger went on to emphasize holding the country's education system accountable, keeping taxes low and to "terminate" terrorism as tenets of the Republican Party.\nThe governor even briefly implied Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards' political philosophy of "Two Americas."\n"We have one America, and President Bush is defending it with all his heart and soul," he said.\nThe California governor, known for his blockbuster action movies before he ran for governor after Gray Davis was recalled last year, used his famous phrases of "girly men" and "I'll be back" throughout his speech.\n"Ladies and gentlemen, America is back," Gov. Schwarzenegger said. "Back from the attack on our homeland, back from the attack on our economy, back from the attack on our way of life. We're back because of perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd president of the United States -- George W. Bush."\nAt the beginning of his speech, Schwarzenegger reminded the delegates of one of his past films.\n"One of my movies was called 'True Lies,'" he said. "That's what the Democrats should have called their convention."\nSchwarzenegger ended his speech chanting along with the crowd "four more years."\nBefore Gov. Schwarzenegger spoke, U.S. Secretary of Education Paige spoke for a few minutes about how the No Child Left Behind Act is working before introducing a video focused on a Missouri school the campaign said was proof the act is moving America's schools forward.