U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez

Thank you and good evening.

As we just watched, it is - indeed - a dangerous world.

That is why we need a strong America.

That is why we need a strong Commander-in-Chief.

That is why we need President John McCain!

On the world stage, America stands as a beacon of hope and a sentinel of freedom. My journey to freedom, from Cuba, began with the dream and hope offered by America.

My journey, however, is not a unique one.

What is unique is the special place our country holds for people around the world - especially those who are oppressed or denied the liberties we take for granted.

The challenges and dangers we face in this uncertain world... call for strong leadership, and a clear understanding of the threats we face... and how to meet and beat them.

Only one man in this race is qualified to meet the current global challenges.

Only one man has a history of always putting country first.

That man is John McCain!

John is a leader committed to peace, because he knows - first-hand - the pain and horror of war.

To meet the challenges of our dangerous times, he knows that peace is a dividend of strength.

And John McCain will ensure that our Armed forces have the troop strength and the equipment necessary to meet all threats.

We must ensure that our forces are led by a Commander-in-Chief who is ready to walk in to the Oval Office on Day One ...with a clear vision of the mission and the know-how to succeed.

This is not a time for on-the-job-training.

In addition to our military strength, the world respects our ideals and values.

President McCain will help spread these ideals and values across the globe... in places such as:

Latin America, where authoritarian rule and worn out ideas drive tyrants like Fidel Castro and his sidekick, Hugo Chavez.

Iran and North Korea, where we have seen the dangerous and destabilizing pursuit of nuclear weapons.

And the Middle East, where anti-American sentiment - bred by hatred and fueled by radicalism - threatens us all.

We must engage and compete with the strength of our ideas. We must engage with confidence and without apology.

America is a good and decent country -I know.

And I know, John McCain is the right person to carry this message .

And he will do it in a consistent manner - unlike his opponent.

Senator Obama is a relative newcomer on the national scene and an unproven quantity on the global stage, so, do we know what he stands for?

First, he said he would meet with rogue leaders without condition, then he came to understand that is an unwise and dangerous approach to American leadership.

First, he was for trade, then he was against NAFTA.

First, he was for a "soft" response to the Russian invasion of the emerging democracy of Georgia, then he realized it warranted a more muscular response...only after John McCain led the way in standing up to Russian aggression.

Is this what he means by "change we can believe in?"

It is not the kind of change we need from our President and Commander-in- Chief.

Our country needs our next president to have character, experience, and an unending willingness to put country first - first above self, and first above political ambition.

That person is John McCain.

With him as President, we know America will be to others what it has been for me - a land of hope and great opportunity.

Thank you.