Special Setup Planned for President Bush's Acceptance Speech at RNC

Moving to bring a special intimacy to the carefully scripted atmosphere of a political convention, President Bush will give his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention next week from a small circular stage in a sea of thousands of delegates and other guests.

"We wanted the president to be closer to people and surrounded by people," Mark McKinnon, Mr. Bush's chief media adviser, said. "It sort of reflected his strength and character as the man in the arena."

"He is not just trapped by a stage," Mr. McKinnon said. "He doesn't have the usual comforts of a stage behind him. To me that says strength, that he is willing to stand out there alone" among all the delegates.

On Thursday, the day that Mr. Bush is to accept the party's nomination and the day that is expected to be the most watched of the convention, the floor will be reconfigured. Convention planners did not want to go into great detail, hoping to retain an element of surprise, but a small model of the platform suggested what will ultimately take shape.

The model shows a long runway built out from the stage, ending at a circular platform. Convention officials said that it would take 20 workers eight to 10 hours to build the stage and that they would start their work at the end of Wednesday night's proceedings. Nine wide steps will lead from the audience up to the platform, where the president will stand on a carpet decorated with the presidential seal.

Source: The New York Times

> Strength and Character? Give me a break.