states. and he is a man who fully shares my conviction and yours. that after period of 40 years when power has gone from the cities and the states to the government in washington, d.c. it is time to have power go back from washington to the states and to the cities of this country all over america. we're going to win because at a time when america cries out for the unity that this administration has destroyed, the republican party after a pir rited contest for its nomination for president and vice president stands united before the nation tonight.

and i congratulate governor reagan. i congrat late -- i congratulate governor rockefeller. i confrat late governor romney. i congratulate all of those who made the hard fight that they have for this nomination and i know that you will all fight even harder for the great victory our party is going to win in november because we are going to be together in that election campaign. and a party that can unite itself will unite america.

my fellow americans, most important we are going win because our cause is right. we make history tonight not for ourselves but for the ages. the choice we make in 1968 will determine not only the future of america but the future of peace and freedom in the world for the last third of the 20th century and the question that we answered tonight can america meet this great challenge. far few moments, let us look at america, let us listen to america. to fund the answer to that question. as we look at america we see cities in smoke and flames. we hear sirens in the night. we see americans dying on distant battle fields abroad. we see americans hating each other, fight each other, killing each other at home.

and as we see and hear the things millions of americans cry out in anguish. did we come all this way for this? did americans boys die in normandy and korea and valley forge for this? listen to the answers to those questions. it is another voice, it these quiet voice in the shouting. it is the voice of the great majority of americans, the non-shouters the non-demonstrators. they are not racist or sick.

american ream. they give steel to the back pone bone of america. they are good people. they are decent people. they work. they sab. they pay their taxes and they care. like theodore roosevelt, they know this country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless ith is a good place for all of us to live in. and this i say, and this i say to you tonight is the real voice of america and this year in 1968, this is the message that will broadcast to america and to the world, let's never forget that the folks, america is a great nation and america is great because people are great with winston churchhill we say, we have not yurn nid all this way. across the central, across the oceans, across the

mountains, across the prairies because we are made of sugar candy. america is in trouble today not because there are people who have failed but because the leaders have failed and what america needs are leaders to match the greatness of its people. and this great group of americans and forgotten americans and others know the great questions must answer by their vote to november is this -- whether we shall continue for four more years the policy of the last five years and this is their answer and this is my answer to that question -- when the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four

years in a war in vietnam with no end in sight, when the richest in the nation of the world cannot manage its own economy, when the nation with the greatest tradition of the rule of law is plagued by unprecidented lawlessness, when a nation has been known for centuries for ewall ty of opportunity is torn by unprecedented racial violence and when the president of the united states cannot travel abroad or to any major city at home without fear of a hostile demonstration, then it is time for new leadership for the united states of america. we had enough. the has come for honest government in the united states of america.

so tonight, i do not promise millennium in the morning. he do not promise we can evad quate poverty and eliminate, but i do promise action, and new policy for peace abroad. a new policy for peace and progress at home. look at our problems abroad. do you realize we face the stark truth that we're worse off in every area of the world tonight than we were when president eisenhower left office eight years ago. thathat is the record. and there is only one answer to such a record of failure. that is a complete housecleaning of those responsible for the failures of that record. the answer is a complete reappraisal of the policies in every section of the

world. we shall begin with vietnam. we all hope in the room that there is a chance that current negotiations may bring an honorable end to the with and we'll say nothing during the campaign that may destroy that chance. but if the war has not ended, when the people choose in november, the choice will be clear, here it is: for four years, this administration has the greatest military and economic advantage that one nation has ever had over another. for four year, merck's fighting men have set a record for courage and sacrifice unsur paced in our history and four years this administration has had the support of a loyal opposition for the objective speaking honorable end to the struggle. never has so much military and economic and diplomatic power been used effectively. if that for all this time and ul of the sack fis and all of this support there is still no end in sight then i say

the time has come for the american people to turn to new leadership not tied to the mistakes and the policies of the past. that is what is in the office of america. and i pledge you tonight, the first priority foreign policy objective of the next administration will to bring an honorable toned the war in vietnam. we shall not stop there. we need a policy to prevent more vietnams. all of mark's peacekeeping citytutions and all america's foreign commitments must be reappraised over the past 25 year, america has provided more than 150 billion in foreign aid and through nations abroad. in korea, and now again in

veriette nam, the united states furnished most of the money, most of the men to help the people of those countries defend themselves against aggress. now we a rich country. wear strong nation. we're a populous nation. but there are 200 million americans and two billion people that liven the free world. and i say the time has come for other nations in the free world to bear their fair share of the burden of defending peace and freedom around the world. what i call for is not a new isolationism, it is in which america enlists the allies and friends around the world and those struggles in which their interest is as great as ours. now to the leaders of the communist world we say, after

rear of confrontations, the time has an era of negotiations. superpowers are concerned, there is no acceptable alternative to peaceful negotiations. because this will be a period of negotiations, we shall restore the strength of america so we shall always negotiate from strength and never from weakness. and as we speak peace through negotiations, let our goals be made clear, we do not seek nomination over any other country. we believe deeply in our ideas but we believe they should travel on their own power and in the on the power of our arm. we shall never be bee lig gent but as firm as they are expanding theirs and we

believe it should be era of peaceful competition not only in the prohe duck oftive the factories but in the quality of our ideas. we extend the hand of friendship. to all people, to the russian people, to the chinese people, to all people in the world. we shall work toward the goal of an open world, open skies, open cities, open-hearts. open minds. the next day is, my friend, this period in which we are entering, i think we will have the greatest opportunity for world peace but also face the greatest danger of world war of any time in our history. i believe we must have peace, i believe that we can have peace but i do not united nationsest mat the difficulty of this past because you see the art of prepreserving

peace is greater than that of waging war and much more demanding. but i am proud to have served in administration which ended one war and kept the nation out of other wars for eight years. and it is that kind of experience, iting that is kind of leadership that america needs today and that we will give to america with your help.

>> it's time for new leadership to restore! >> [applause] when we were a small nation, weak militarily and poor economically, america was respected and the reason was that american stood for something more powerful than military strength or economic growth, the american revolution was a shining example of freedom in action which caught the imagination of the world and today too often america is an example to be avoided and not

followed, a nation that can't keep the peace at home won't be trusted to keep the peace abroad. the president who isn't treated with respect will not be treated with respect abroad, a nation which can't manage its own economy can't tell others how to manage theirs. if we are to restore prestige and respect for america abroad the place to begin is at home, in the united states of america. >> [applause] my friends, we live in an age of revolution in america and in the world. and to fine the answers to our problems let us turn to a ref hraoulgs -- revolution a. revolution that will never grow old. the world's greatest continuing revolution, the american revolution. the american revolution was and is dedicated to progress,

but our founders recognized that the first requisite of progress is order. now, there is no quarrel between progress and order. because neither can exist without the other. so let us have order in america. not the order that discourages change, but the order which guarantees the right to descent and provides the basis for peaceful change, and tonight is the time for some honest talk about the problem of order in the united states. let us always respect, as i do, our courts and those who serve on them. but let us also recognize that some of our courts and their decisions have gone too far in weak weakening the peace forces against the criminal forces in this country.

let those who have the responsibility to enforce our laws and judges who have the responsibility to interpret them be dedicated to the against principles of civil rights but let them also recognize that the first civil right of every american is to be free from domestic violence, and that right must be guaranteed in this country >> and if we are to restore and respect for law in this country there's one place we're going to begin. we're going to have a new attorney general of the united states of america. [applause] >> i pledge to you that our attorney general will be directed by the president of the united states to launch a

war against organized crime in this country. i pledge to you that the new attorney general of the united states will be an active belligerent against the loan sharks and those with urban ties in our city, he will open a new front against the narcotics peddlers who are interrupting the lives of the children in this country. >> [applause] >> because my friends, let this message come too clear from what i say tonight, time is running out for the merchants of crime and corruption in american society. the wave of crime is not going to be the wave of the future in the united states of america. >> [applause] >> we established freedom from fear in america so that america can take the lead in reestablishing freedom from

fear in the world. and to those who say that law and order is the code ward for racism, here is the reply. our goal is justice. justice for every american. if we are to have respect for law in america we must have laws that deserve respect. just as we cannot have progress without order we cannot have order without progress. and so as we commit to order tonight, let us commit to progress. we do not fire a shot heard around the world, but we shall right the lamp of hope in millions of homes across this land in which there is no hope today. and that great light shining out from america will begin become a beacon of hope for all those in the world who seek freedom and opportunity. my fellow americans, i believe that historians will recall that 1968 marked the beginning of the american

generation in world history. just to be alive in america. just to be alive. at this time is an experience unparalleled in world history. here is where the action. think. predict years from now most americans will celebrate a new year that comes once in a thousand years. eight years from now. in the second term of the next president, we will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the american revolution. and by our decision in this election, we, all of us here, all of you listening on television and radio, we will determine what kind of nation america will be on its 200th birthday. we will determine what kind of world america will live in in the year 2000. this is the kind of a day i see for america on that glorious fourth, eight years from now. i see a day when americans

are once again proud of their flag. when once again at home and abroad it is honored as the world's greatest symbol of liberty and justice. i see a day when the president of the united states is respected, and his office is honored because it is worthy of respect and worthy of honor. i see a day when every child in this land, regardless of its background, has a chance for the best education that our wisdom and schools can provide and an equal chance to go just as high as his dreams will take him. i see a day when we can look back on nasty breakthroughs in solving the problems of slums and pollution and traffic which are choking our cities to death. i see a day when our senior citizens and millions of others can plan for the future with the assurance

that their government is not going to rob them of their savings by destroying the value of their dollars. >> [applause] >> i see a day when we will begin have freedom from fear in america and freedom from fear in the world. i see a day when our nation is at peace and the world is at peace and everyone on earth, those who vote, those who aspire, those who crave liberty, will look to america as the shining example of hope realized and dreams achieved. my fellow americans, this is the cause i ask you to vote for. this is the cause i ask you to work for. this is the cause i ask you to commit to, not just for victory in november but beyond that and to a new administration, because the time when one man or a few leaders could save america is gone. we need tonight nothing less than the total commitment and

totally mobilization of the american people if we are to succeed. government can pass laws. but respect for law can come only from people who take the law into their heart and their minds and not into their hands. >> [applause] >> government can provide opportunity, but opportunity means nothing unless people are prepared to seek it. a president can ask for reconciliation, in the racial conflict that divides americans but reconciliation comes only from the hearts of people. and tonight, therefore, as we make this commitment, let us look into our hearts, and let us look down into the faces of our children. if for anything in the world that should stand in their way, none of the old hatreds

mean anything when you look down into the faces of our children, in their faces is our hope, our love, our courage. tonight i see the face of a child, he lives in a great city, he's black or he's white, he's mexican, italian, polish, none of that matters. what matters, he's an american child. that child, in that great city, is more important than any politician's promise. he is america. he is a poet. he is a scientist. he's a great teacher. he's a proud craftsman. he's everything we ever hoped to be and everything we dare dream to be. he sleeps the sleep of childhood, he dreams the dreams of a child and yet when he awakens he awakens to a living nightmare poverty, neglect, and despair. he fails in school. he ends up on welfare. for him, the american system

is one that feeds his stomach and starves his soul. it breaks his heart. and in the end, it may take his life on some distant battlefield. to millions of children in this rich land, this is their prospect for the future but this is only part of what i see in america. i see another child tonight, and he hears the train go by. at night he dreams of faraway places, where he'd like to go seems like an union touchable dream -- untouchable dream. but he is helped on his journey through life, a father who had to go before he finished the sixth grade, sacrificed everything he had so that his sons could go to college. a mother, with a passion and concern for peace, quietly went when he went to war but she understood why he had to go. a great teacher, a remarkable

football coach, an inspirational minister, encouraged him on his way. a courageous wife and loyal children stood by him in victory and also in defeat. and in his chosen profession of politics, first there were scores, then hundreds, then thousands, and finally, millions worked for his success. and tonight, he stands before you, nominated for president of the united states of america. [applause] >> from most of us the american revolution has been

won, the american dream has come true. and what i ask you to do tonight is to help me make that dream come true for millions to whom it's an impossible dream today. >> [applause] >> 108 years ago, the newly elected president of the united states, abraham lincoln, left springfield, illinois, never to return again. he spoke to his friends, gathered at the railroad station, listened to his words. today, i leave. i go to assume a greater task than devolved on general washington, the great god that helped him must help me.

without that great assistance, i will surely fail. with it, i cannot fail. abraham lincoln lost his life, but he did not fail. the next president of the united states will face challenges which in some ways will be greater than those of washington or lincoln, because for the first time in our nation's history, an american president will face not only the problem of restoring peace abroad but of restoring peace at home. without god's help and your help, we will surely fail. but with god's help and your help, we shall surely succeed. my fellow americans, the long, dark night for america is about to end. >> [applause] >> the time has come for us

to leave the valley of despair and climb the mountain so that we may see the glory of the dawn, a new day for america and a new dawn for peace and freedom in the world. >> [applause] >> >> in florida, a hurricane warning has been issued and governor rick scott has declared a state of emergency

republican officials have announced that they're canceling monday's convention events in tampa and they'll start tuesday, and vice president joe biden has postponed his planned trip to tampa on monday. emergency officials are setting up shelters and urging vacationers to leave the florida keys as tropical storm isaac heads their way after hitting haiti and cuba. forecasters say the storm could hit the keys sunday night, before moving northwest off florida's gulf coast. watch gavel to gavel coverage of the democratic and republican conventions on c-span, your front row seat to the convention. we'll show you past speech, next george george w. bush in 2000 john mccain's 2008 remarks. tomorrow on "washington journal", politico reporter dave leventhal looks at the funding of the 2012

conventions, david bossie discusses the impact of the supreme court's decision in the citizens case and the influence of superpacs on 2012, and the discussion of unregulated money in this year's campaign with bob biersak and kim barker, "washington journal", sunday at 7:00 on c-span. >> the 2000 republican convention was held in philadelphia and the nominee was texas governor george w. bush, son of president george herbert walker bush. governor bush selected richard cheney as his running mate and that election would ultimately be decided by a supreme court ruling. here is his speech from early august 2000.

mr. chairman. mr. chairman.

thank you all. >> [applause] >> thank you! >> mr. chairman, mr. chairman, delegates and my fellow citizens, i proudly accept your nomination. [applause] thank you.

thank you for this honor. thank you for this honor. together, we will renew america's purpose. >> [applause] >> our founders defined that purpose here in philadelphia. ben franklin was here. thomas jefferson. and of course, george washington. or as his friends called him, george w.! >> [applause]