WARNING: This is not for the lighthearted.
Text of Prepared Remarks for George W. Bush, GOP Convention Acceptance Speech,
8:30 PM, Sept 2, 2004 - with simultaneous coverage on 75% of Cable, Satellite,
and Network Channels - live from the deck of the USS Intrepid
(view opens on president at Podium with seal, no one else on screen, camera angle pointed back toward Manhattan)
My fellow Americans, assembled delegates of the Republican Party, and residents of New York ... tonight, I had planned to speak to you tonight as your President, running for re-election. I had planned to deliver that speech from the heart of Manhattan, so close to where our enemies had struck us before.
But evil does not respect the timetable of freedom loving people, and so I speak to you tonight from the USS Intrepid, and the heart of Manhattan is again wounded and aching. I come to you not as a candidate for office, but as your
Commander in Chief, to make this promise ...
This call to action will not go unanswered.
Our enemy is hateful, despising the goodness and honesty of our lives in this land. They have once again used this hate to twist the fabric of our lives against us in a manner that is both unimaginable and unspeakable.
Your government is still piecing together the facts of this particular plot, but we do know this ... late yesterday, as I myself prepared to meet with Republican officials and delegations, four trains headed into the city on their scheduled paths. They came from four different directions, bringing tourists and travelers, commuters and residents, those who were attending this convention and those who were opposed to it.
And each brought a deadly cargo, which was triggered as those trains pulled into Pennsylvania Station, beneath the convention hall where my Party had assembled.
We do not know the exact death toll from this act of terror, but it is likely to be steep. Luckily, the 5000 Army Reserve soldiers I had ordered to provide security for the convention were here to help with search and rescue operations, keeping the cost much lower than it otherwise might have been. I have ordered another 5000 to report for duty immediately to assist in those efforts.
This act was meant to strike at the very heart of Democracy. Several Republican delegates are among the dead. Lost with them are many of the young people who came to oppose my party's presence here, their voices forever silenced.
And it is my deep regret to inform you, my fellow Americans, that it was confirmed to me in the minutes prior to this speech ...
one of the trains pulling into the station at the time of this incident was a Metroliner travelling from upstate New York. On it, was former Democrat candidate Governor Howard Dean, come to New York to deliver a response to the speech you are hearing tonight.
He has been lost.
I ask for a few moments of silence for him and all the dead.
These killers know no bounds. Mercy and fairness are not in their vocabulary. They wrongly assume that justice is not in ours. They wrongly assume that we will bend to their will, change our votes as they would like, or halt our elections altogether.
We will hunt down those responsible. And, as Americans, we will also continue with our lives.
That includes continuing with the election. We will neither move the election nor cancel it, despite the chaos of these past two days and the disruption of the process. There have been many rumors over the last 24 hours. They are false.
However, I will ask this of my opponent Senator John Kerry before I close. I will suspend all campaigning, in respect to the victims Republican and Democrat, if he will agree to do the same. Not one ad will air, nor one flyer handed out, up to and through election day. This will send a signal that we are united against terror, determined to continue the fight no matter who next leads the country. I hope that he will reply yes as soon as I finish.
We must stay resolute in the face of these killers. We cannot retreat now. All our lives depend on continued vigilance and strength. All our freedoms depend on continuing the fight.
And with that, I accept my Party's nomination for President, and I hope to lead this country through another four years of that fight.
Together, we can continue to provide strong leadership in a time of change.
Thank you, and may God continue to Bless The United States of America.