"Today, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror," he said. "Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders. . . . Libya is dismantling its weapons program."

As for Iraq, Bush said his administration understood that the nation under Saddam Hussein had a history of aggression and support for terrorism and that he had, in the past, sought weapons of mass destruction.

"And we know that Sept. 11 requires our country to think differently — we must and we will confront threats to America before it is too late."

In Saddam, Bush said, America saw a threat. When the Iraqi strongman failed to "meet his responsibilities to the civilized world" Bush said he decided to act.

"I faced a decision that comes only to the Oval Office — a decision no president would ask for but must be prepared to make," he said. "Do I forget the lessons of Sept. 11 and take the word of a madman or do I take action to defend our country?

"Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time," he said.

In conclusion, Bush said, "To everything we know there is a season — a time for sadness, a time for struggle, a time for rebuilding. And now we have reached a time for hope. This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America."

Utah's Joe Cannon was practically ecstatic with the president's address and with the GOP convention overall — especially since he was disinclined to actually come to New York in the first place. But he fell a call to duty.

"This is the best convention I've ever been to," he said as the delegates began to depart Madison Square Garden. "I'm glad I did. It was a huge coming together of the party," pulling together Republicans from all along the GOP spectrum, including Utah's notably conservative delegation.

"You had Utahns screaming for Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain," Cannon said. "Now that's a coming together."

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E-MAIL: spang@desnews.com