The Republican Party has opened its national convention, with speakers invoking the September 11th terrorist attacks and hailing President Bush as a strong wartime leader.
The convention is being held at New York's Madison Square Garden, not far from where the World Trade Center towers once stood.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today Mr.Bush showed "courage and vision" by choosing New York as the convention site.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Dennis Hastert called Democratic challenger John Kerry "weak on war and wrong on taxes."
Convention delegates have approved a conservative party platform that backs a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and abortion.
But the party hopes to appeal to voters outside its base with speeches from two well-known moderates -- Senator John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani.
Information for this report is provided by AP.