Fallin recalls bombing in convention speech
OKLAHOMA CITY _ U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin evoked one of Oklahoma's darkest days, the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and told those attending the Republican National Convention that the strength Oklahomans displayed in the aftermath is embodied in John McCain.
Fallin was one of a succession of GOP officials who took the stage in St. Paul, Minn., in a buildup to the Arizona senator's speech accepting his party's nomination Thursday night.
Her focus was on terrorism, namely the nation's deadliest attack by domestic terrorists, and it was followed by a video showing scenes from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The first-term congresswoman, who was lieutenant governor when the bombing occurred, recalled instances of heroism and kindness by Oklahoma residents -- barbers who gave free haircuts to firefighters, volunteers who fed the rescuers and even one man who stopped by the site to donate the work boots he was wearing.
It came to be known at "The Oklahoma Standard," she said, as images of the ravaged Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building were shown behind her.
"But it really was the 'American Standard,'" Fallin said. "It's the extraordinary ability of the American people to unite in the face of overwhelming adversity and to be stronger for it."
She also spoke of how emergency responders from New York -- many of them firefighters -- traveled to Oklahoma and worked in the rubble to recover victims. Six years later, some of them would lose their lives.
"Our American standard embodies the spirit of free people who will not be cowed by terror, who will stand together with courage and resolve," she said as the audience applauded. "It embodies the spirit of John McCain.
"The American people have in John McCain a leader who doesn't just understand that spirit, he has lived it."
In a jab at Barack Obama, Fallin said the nation can't afford a president "who thinks you can negotiate with evil."
Fallin was referring to comments the Democratic presidential nominee has made about being willing to negotiate with leaders of rogue nations like Iran.
"Talk, yes. But remember Teddy Roosevelt's big stick. Strong leaders like John McCain know that evil must be confronted if free societies are to remain free. He knows that government's most important task is to do everything it can to ensure the safety and the security of its citizens.
"Ask yourself tonight America: who do you trust to defend your children against the haters and the killers whose only creed is evil? You can trust John McCain," she said.
Fallin was one of several Oklahomans tapped to speak at the convention. Because GOP officials revamped the schedule as Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Louisiana, however, she was the only one whose appearance wasn't canceled.