Uniformed New York firefighters endorse Bush

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NEW YORK -- President Bush arrived at the Republican National Convention last night after being endorsed by New York firefighters who praised his handling of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Your leadership and compassion sustained us during our darkest hour," said Stephen J. Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York.

"Your post-September 11th policies have strengthened our nation by taking the war to the terrorists," added Mr. Cassidy, who hosted the president at an Italian social club in Queens.

The union represents more than 20,000 active and retired firefighters, many of whom witnessed the president's emotional visit to ground zero on Sept. 14, 2001. Standing that day atop a crumpled firetruck with retired fireman Bob Beckwith, Mr. Bush vowed to punish the perpetrators.

It became the most enduring image of his presidency and made a particularly strong impression on the New York City Fire Department, which lost 343 firefighters in the attacks.

Before arriving yesterday in New York, where he formally will accept his party's nomination for the presidency in a major speech tonight, Mr. Bush previewed his acceptance speech during a visit to Ohio.

"Tomorrow night, I'm going to talk about how this world of ours is changing," he told 20,000 cheering supporters at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. "And government must change with the changing world to make people's lives easier, to give people the chance, the ability to realize the full promise of tomorrow.

"Changing times are difficult times," he added. "And one way to help add security to people's lives during changing times is to promote an ownership society."

Mr. Bush said he wants more Americans to own health care accounts that can be transferred from job to job. He also wants to let younger workers put some of their Social Security taxes into personal savings accounts.

Sen. John Kerry's campaign quickly disparaged the president's remarks.