Condi Rice is a great defender of American strength and leadership in the world, and the longstanding core principle of American foreign policy which is that "we stand for free peoples and free markets." If we are not clear and consistent and do not lead ourselves, then either no one will lead and we will have chaos, or someone will fill the void and lead - someone who does not share our values.
"When the world looks to America, they look to us because we are the most successful economic and political experiment in human history. That is the true basis for American exceptionalism."
"Ours has never been a narrative of grievance and entitlement. We have never believed that 'I am doing poorly because you are doing well.' We have never been jealous of one another and never envious of each other's successes. No. Ours has been a belief in opportunity."And finally, she talked about "the civil rights issue of our time" - that governments have in many cases locked minority and poor students in failing schools by not allowing parental choice and failing to reform failing schools and insist upon consistent quality expectations in our schools.
Then there was Paul Ryan. I can say that since Ronald Reagan I've never heard a more compelling political speech and message than the conservative message Paul Ryan gave tonight. (Bill Clinton, for all his faults, could also be compelling, but far too often fell into the liberal traps of the Left).
Just a sampling of some of his many great quotes in this speech:
"So here’s the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?"
"The first troubling sign came with the stimulus. It was President Obama’s first and best shot at fixing the economy, at a time when he got everything he wanted under one-party rule...What did the taxpayers get out of the Obama stimulus? More debt. That money wasn’t just spent and wasted – it was borrowed, spent, and wasted."
"President Obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made. He said, well, “I haven’t communicated enough.” He said his job is to “tell a story to the American people” – as if that’s the whole problem here? He needs to talk more, and we need to be better listeners? Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What’s missing is leadership in the White House. And the story that Barack Obama does tell - forever shifting blame to the last administration - is getting old. The man assumed office almost four years ago – isn’t it about time he assumed responsibility?"
"President Obama is the kind of politician who puts promises on the record, and then calls that the record. But we are four years into this presidency. The issue is not the economy as Barack Obama inherited it, not the economy as he envisions it, but this economy as we are living it."
"College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life."
"None of us have to settle for the best this administration offers – a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us."
"He helped start businesses and turn around failing ones. By the way, being successful in business – that’s a good thing. Mitt has not only succeeded, but succeeded where others could not. He turned around the Olympics at a time when a great institution was collapsing under the weight of bad management, overspending, and corruption – sounds familiar, doesn’t it?"
"I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. That’s what we do in this country. That’s the American Dream. That’s freedom, and I’ll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners."Here's Paul Ryan...you won't be disappointed...
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