Fred Thompson Wows the RNC Crowd on Tuesday Night

On Tuesday night, Fred Thompson delivered the type of speech that Conservatives, Moderates and Right-Thinking Democrats were waiting for. He and his wife Jerri will be excellent McCain advocates over these next few months. As a FredHead who went to SC to support his campaign, he delivered what was needed as we ramped up toward last night and tonight's feature.

Here are excerpts from FDT's speech:

Tonight our thoughts are still with our friends and fellow citizens in the Gulf Coast area, and our thanks go to those who have worked so hard to keep them safe. There can be no more important work than this.

But what we are doing at this convention is also important to our country.We are going to nominate the next President and Vice President of the United States of America. We do so while taking a different view of our country than that of the other party. Listening to them you'd think that we were in the middle of a great depression; that we are down, disrespected and incapable of prevailing against challenges facing us.

We know that we have challenges ... always have, always will.But we also know that we live in the freest, strongest, most generous and prosperous nation in the history of the world and we are thankful.

Speaking of the vice presidential nominee, what a breath of fresh air Governor Sarah Palin is. She is from a small town, with small town values, but that's not good enough for those folks who are attacking her and her family. Some Washington pundits and media big shots are in a frenzy over the selection of a woman who has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit. Well, give me a tough Alaskan Governor who has taken on the political establishment in the largest state in the Union -- and won -- over the beltway business-as-usual crowd any day of the week.Let's be clear ... the selection of Governor Palin has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. She is a courageous, successful, reformer, who is not afraid to take on the establishment. Sound like anyone else we know? She has run a municipality and she has run a state. And I can say without fear of contradiction that she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose ... with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt. She and John McCain are not going to care how much the alligators get irritated when they get to Washington, they're going to drain that swamp.

But tonight, I'd like to talk to you about the remarkable story of John McCain.It's a story about character.

John McCain's character has been tested like no other presidential candidate in the history of this nation. He comes from a military family whose service to our country goes back to the Revolutionary War. The tradition continues. As I speak, John and Cindy McCain have one son who's just finished his first tour in Iraq.Another son is putting "Country First" and is attending the Naval Academy. We have a number of McCains in the audience tonight.

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Because John McCain stood up our country is better off. The respect he is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship. There has been no time in our nation's history, since we first pledged allegiance to the American flag, when the character, judgment and leadership of our President was more important.
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Because tonight our country is calling to all of us to step up, stand up, and put "Country First" with John McCain. Tonight we are being called upon to do what is right for our country. Tonight we are being called upon to stand up for a strong military ... a mature foreign policy ... a free and growing economy and for the values that bind us together and keep our nation free.

Tonight, we are being called upon to step up and stand up with John just as he has stood up for our country.Our country is calling. John McCain cannot raise his arms above his shoulders.He cannot salute the flag of the country for which he sacrificed so much.

Tonight, as we begin this convention week, yes, we stand with him.And we salute him.We salute his character and his courage.His spirit of independence, and his drive for reform.His vision to bring security and peace in our time, and continued prosperity for America and all her citizens. For our own good and our children's, let us celebrate that vision, that belief, that faith so we can keep America the greatest country the world has ever seen.

God bless John McCain and God bless America.