Ensign fears peril in Democratic gains

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Nevada Sen. John Ensign, speaking Thursday at the Republican convention, warned that America's freedom is in peril if Democrats make gains in the November election.

"If the Democrats win a stronger majority in the United States Senate, our nation will move farther and farther from the principles of freedom," said Ensign, whose speech was postponed from Monday.

He added, "Do you want those who do not understand that there is true evil in the world to dictate our foreign policy? Or do you want to continue to stand up to radical Islamic extremists? Republicans are on the right side of ... critical issues because we will always champion freedom. We know that sacrifices are made every single day to strengthen, protect and honor that freedom."

The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Ensign told the crowd of the necessity of taking back the majority in the Senate, something he has elsewhere acknowledged is very unlikely.

He mentioned a Nevadan who has fought in Iraq, Jacob Fogel of Elko, saying, "He put it this way: 'Nobody really knows what freedom is like until you have to fight for it.'"

Former President Reagan shares with Republican nominee John McCain an unwavering belief in freedom above all else, Ensign said.

"To stray from freedom is to turn our backs on the 42 million Americans who have served our nation on the front lines of freedom by donning the uniform of the United States military," he said.

At the early hour in the program, not everyone was listening. The Nevada delegates on the floor gave Ensign an enthusiastic reception, but Gov. Jim Gibbons was standing up having a conversation through most of the speech.

GIULIANI FEELING GOOD

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was beaming Thursday as he discussed Wednesday's speech by Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

"I woke up this morning feeling really good," Giuliani said in a roundtable discussion with a group of reporters. "I thought that Sarah Palin's speech last night was superb. ... I think she changed a lot of minds last night."

Giuliani noted that, according to television ratings, nearly as many people watched Palin -- 37 million -- as tuned in for Democratic nominee Barack Obama's stadium acceptance speech, which drew 38 million viewers. "And it didn't cost us nearly as much money as it cost the Democrats," he said.

Giuliani ridiculed Obama's setting, among Greek columns and followed by fireworks, describing the GOP event as more "intimate." In the Xcel Center, the stage was transformed into a catwalk-style T shape so that McCain could evoke the feel of his famous town halls.

Giuliani asserted that Republicans are controlling the direction of the campaign.

"The Democratic convention was extremely reactive," he said. "The convention reacted to the questions the McCain campaign had produced about Barack Obama. His speech, although very exciting, was a very defensive speech. What you're going to see from Senator McCain, he's just going to talk to the American people about what he wants to do."

Giuliani said it was significant that so many of McCain's primary rivals lauded him from the convention floor. He said Republicans didn't come into their convention severely divided, as the Democrats did because of the lingering wounds from the primary battle between Obama and Hillary Clinton.

While Giuliani maintained that social conservatives and the Republican base generally were already on board with McCain, he acknowledged that many weren't as fired up as they are now. He said Palin has "made them much more enthusiastic, which is very important in politics."

Giuliani warned that questions about Palin's political experience governing a town of about 6,500 people will be taken as attacks on small-town America.

"There are a lot more cities like that in America than there are New York City," he said.

Contact Review-Journal reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702- 387-2919.