I thought Bush's speech was...well, pretty much George Bush.

This line was accurate, I believe:

In the last four years, you and I have come to know each other. Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe and where I stand.

Yup...pretty much. And the speech was pure Bush. He started out by reminding everyone he was a "compassionate conservative", then going down a laundry list of new government programs, mixed with vague crowd-pleasing reform initiatives. Then he said:

[Kerry's] policies of tax and spend, of expanding government rather than expanding opportunity, are the policies of the past. We are on the path to the future, and we are not turning back.

I guess the future is the policy of "cut taxes and spend".

He threw in lines about unborn children and gay marriage, presumably to appeal to his hardcore base. And he said stuff like this:

I believe all these things because freedom is not America's gift to the world, it is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.

This kind of stuff makes me cringe.

As expected, Bush was much better when he talked foreign policy. This was probably my favorite part:

Again, my opponent takes a different approach. In the midst of war, he has called America's allies, quote, a "coalition of the coerced and the bribed". That would be nations like Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, El Salvador, Australia, and others - allies that deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a politician. I respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget.

I've blogged about this several times, and it was nice to hear the President address it so clearly.

All in all, I thought the speech evoked a pretty clear picture of what Bush has been like and what he would be like in another term. More government expansion, fewer taxes, bigger deficits, overt religiosity and social conservatism, and an aggressive foreign policy stance.

I dislike many of these aspects of George Bush, but he's right...I do know where he stands. That is at least another virtue over Kerry. I came away from watching the DNC not really knowing what Kerry's Presidency might look like.

As I've said before, I'll most likely end up holding my nose and voting for Bush, the devil I know over the one I don't.