Bush: McCain understands that to protect US, we must stay on the offense

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US President George W. Bush praised John McCain's "independence and character" in a brief Republican National Convention speech designed to offer some distance between the unpopular president and his would-be successor. In his address, delivered via satellite link from the White House, Bush reprised national security themes that propelled him to re-election in 2004. "We need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: That to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain," he said.