* Bush, via satellite, cites McCain's experience * Republicans praise McCain's choice for No. 2 * Police use pepper spray, teargas to disperse protesters By Steve Holland ST. PAUL, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush saluted Republican John McCain as the man to replace him on Tuesday at a convention featuring assaults on Democrat Barack Obama and a strong defense of McCain's No. 2, Sarah Palin. Bush, in a rarity for recent incumbent presidents, did not attend the party's St. Paul convention to nominate McCain for president, instead speaking briefly from the White House by satellite. The stated reason for Bush's absence was his need to manage the Hurricane Gustav emergency, but it could in the end have helped McCain distance himself from the unpopular Bush at a time when Democrats seek to join them at the hip politically. Bush said progress in bringing stability to Iraq through a U.S. troop build-up was the direct result of the Arizona senator's firmness in insisting that it take place in the face of Democratic opposition and the war's unpopularity. "The man we need is John McCain," Bush said. "He's not afraid to tell you when he disagrees. Believe me, I know," said Bush, who has had an uneasy relationship with the 72-year-old McCain over the years and defeated him in the 2000 race for the Republican nomination. The Obama campaign fired back. "The man George Bush needs may be John McCain, but the change America needs is Barack Obama," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said. On the first night of convention speeches after a delay prompted by the hurricane, police used pepper spray and teargas to drive protesters away from the downtown Xcel Energy Center where the convention was being held. The confrontation followed a peaceful march on behalf of poor people by more than 1,000 demonstrators. Republicans will nominate McCain and vice presidential running mate, Palin, 44, as their candidates this week to face Obama and his running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, in the Nov. 4 election. HEAVY FIRE Obama drew heavy fire from convention speakers who want to use the week to try to define the Democrat on their own terms after Obama, a first-term U.S. Illinois senator, got a boost in public opinion polls from his convention last week in Denver. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, a close McCain ally who calls himself an independent Democrat, described the Obama, 47, as a "gifted and eloquent young man," but said "eloquence is no substitute for a record, not in these tough times." "I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party," said Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000. Former Tennessee Republican Sen. Fred Thompson, in the most fiery speech of the day, dismissed Obama as "the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for president." Thompson said McCain's foreign policy expertise was far more expansive than Obama's, citing Obama's speech before 200,000 cheering Germans in Berlin in July. "The respect he (McCain) is given around the world is not because of a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to American critics abroad, but because of decades of clearly demonstrated character and statesmanship," Thompson said. Palin's disclosure that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and the news that she had hired a private lawyer in an ethics probe in Alaska have triggered a media firestorm. Some have questioned McCain's judgment in picking Palin and how thoroughly the relatively unknown first-term governor's background was examined before her selection last week. Thompson blasted "Washington pundits and media big shots" who had been critical of Palin. "Let's be clear ... the selection of Gov. Palin has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic. She is a courageous, successful reformer who is not afraid to take on the establishment," he said. Comparing Palin to Obama without mentioning the Democrat's name, Thompson said she "has actually governed rather than just talked a good game on the Sunday talk shows and hit the Washington cocktail circuit." STANDING BY PALIN There was every indication McCain and other Republicans would stand by only the second woman ever picked as a major party's vice presidential nominee, despite the controversy. Republicans like her anti-abortion and pro-gun stances and her history of government reform in Alaska in her two years as governor. "He absolutely keeps her," said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato. "If he drops her, the election is over. There's zero chance that he'll drop her." McCain's aides kept Palin closeted throughout the day as she prepared for a speech to the convention on Wednesday.McCain, who will arrive in the St. Paul area on Wednesday, predicted a warm welcome for Palin when she addresses the convention on Wednesday night."America's excited and they're going to be even more excited once they see her," McCain told reporters in Cleveland. "I'm very, very proud of the impression that she's made on all of America and I'm looking forward to serving with her." In Philadelphia, he defended his search. "My vetting process was completely thorough and I'm grateful for the results," he said. (Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan, Jeff Mason, Richard Cowan, Tim Ryan, Rob Doherty, Ed Stoddard and Jackie Frank; editing by Howard Goller and Patricia Zengerle)
A child plays outside a warehouse destroyed by Hurricane Gustav in Nueva Gerona on the Isle of Youth September 2, 2008. Television reports showed widespread devastation on the island, which has ...
