"This year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to," Lieberman said. "Vote for the leader who, since the age of 17, when he raised his hand and took an oath to defend and protect our Constitution, has always put our country first."

President Bush delivered a short speech in a live video feed that was complimentary of McCain — both for his service to his country and his moral principles. The president, like former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who followed him, referenced McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

"If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain's resolve, you can bet the angry left never will," Bush said.

But Thompson, popular among conservatives and well-known nationally because of his role on the TV show "Law & Order," really got rolling when he turned on Democratic nominee Barack Obama, criticizing him for needing a Teleprompter, for wanting to raise taxes and for wanting to pull out of Iraq.

"To deal with these challenges, Democrats present a history-making nominee," Thompson said. "History-making in that he is the most liberal, least-experienced nominee to ever run for president."

Utahns listening to the speeches from the convention floor said Tuesday's focus on McCain's appeal to independent voters would resonate in the state, even though it consistently goes red in elections.

"Sen. McCain and I haven't always agreed on issues. That's why I was such a strong supporter of Mitt Romney," Valentine said. But now that the GOP primaries are over, Valentine said McCain is the clear choice for Utahns.

The Utah Senate president said only the most die-hard Democrats or Republicans will "poo-poo" the message of political independence delivered Tuesday night by President Bush and other speakers, especially Lieberman.

Bridgewater said that "most people in Utah feel like they're independent even though they're strongly Republican in their philosophy" like McCain.

Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, said she enjoyed the shift in tone at the convention Tuesday, now that the hurricane danger has passed. "Yesterday was perfunctory," Lockhart said. "It's nice tonight to have cheering ... there's an excitement."

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