A VERY DRY RUN
President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush stopped for worship Thursday en route to an orientation walk-through of the convention floor. Bush’s mother and father joined them at the Church of Our Savior on Park Avenue, with the crowded streets of Midtown Manhattan cordoned off to the dismay of motorists and pedestrians alike.
“I’m not sure [of] the proper protocol for addressing two presidents,” said Rev. George William Rutler, who cited letters from Abraham Lincoln writing about God’s guidance during the Civil War.
After church, the president’s motorcade carried him Thursday afternoon to Madison Square Garden, where Bush walked out to the round platform where he would stand for nomination for a second term that night. “Four score and seven years ago,” said Bush, testing the microphone and sound system. “We have come here to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place.”
Turning to face a small circle of reporters following him into the empty hall, Bush joked: “My fellow Americans of the press corps, especially the cameramen, tax relief is on the way. Don’t spend it all in one place. Thank you very much.”
–Mark Silva
GRAND OLD PARTY
Sen. John McCain of Arizona was feted royally Wednesday night at Cipriani 42nd Street.
With what perhaps was the hottest ticket in town this week, select pundits, politicians and celebrities turned out to toast the former presidential candidate. So did the majority of the New Hampshire delegation, the state’s Republican governor, its top Republican strategist and its most beloved television reporter.
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Coincidence? Unlikely.
McCain may be a loyal soldier for President Bush this election season, but he crushed Bush in the 2000 New Hampshire primary. The presence of New Hampshire’s GOP muckety-mucks indicates he might be keeping those fires burning for 2008.
“People in New Hampshire still love him,” said state Sen. Robert Clegg, a Granite State delegate.
–Jennifer Skalka
LEAVING CONVENTION BEHIND
U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes left New York before the finale of his party’s convention Thursday, opting instead to watch the president’s speech at a party in Illinois.
Keyes, who earlier this week criticized the vice president’s daughter for being gay, had a rough run at the GOP convention.
“It certainly seems like the party made a mistake, didn’t it?” said former Illinois Gov. James Thompson.
Thompson said he would not cast a ballot for fellow Republican Keyes in November.
–Ofelia Casillas and Jennifer Skalka
RADIO, RADIO
Conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity’s voice cut through the din as he praised President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. A short distance away, Al Franken, the comedian and liberal talk jock, spoke in softer tones but with no less resolve. “Republicans are exploiting 9/11 for political gain,” he said.
At a Republican National Convention where the chances of seeing a floor debate were as likely as hearing a reading of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry, Radio Row was an unusual place.
“This is a dynamic environment,” said Hoppy Kercheval, a self-described moderate-conservative whose show on WAJR in Morgantown, W.Va., is broadcast by 20 stations in the state. “It’s chaotic and loud, and with all these people milling about, it’s the one place here you can really have a spirited discussion.”
Indeed, a cacophony of political voices emanated from the 63 radio booths crammed together along a broad, winding hallway normally trafficked by sports fans heading for their Madison Square Garden seats.
The mix of convention delegates, radio celebrities and politicians made for interesting encounters. At one point, Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from West Palm Beach, Fla., stopped to take a hard look at Franken.
“I think he’s very good. I don’t agree with him, but he’s entertaining,” Foley said. “But either way, radio is great because you have a chance to talk with those who you may disagree with vehemently.”
–Leon Lazaroff
AN EMPTY CHAIR
One chair sat empty in the Iowa delegation Thursday, a reminder that this is a time of war.
The chair, wrapped in yellow ribbon, would have been occupied by Iowa Republican Chairman Chuck Larson, an Army reservist called to Iraq in February. His fellow delegates decided to leave it empty to make a point.
“Freedom is not free,” said Leon Mosley, acting Iowa party chairman. “Somebody has to work and suffer and ultimately die for freedom.”
For anti-war protesters holding vigils throughout the city, though, the chair was a reminder of the hundreds of other chairs that were empty across America because of the war. They felt Larson should be sitting in his.
“We actually use a symbol, and it’s a peace sign with the yellow ribbon entwined,” said Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out. “Support our troops. Bring them home now.”
About 45 miles north of Baghdad, Larson, 36, an Army Reserve major and state senator from Cedar Rapids, said that he would awake at dawn on Friday to listen to his commander in chief speak at the Republican convention.
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“The mission is challenging,” Larson said. “But the rewards for our nation, and the rewards for the Iraqi people, far outweigh the risks we take.”
–Ofelia Casillas