President Bush hailed John McCain Tuesday night as a man "ready to lead this nation" and a courageous candidate who risked his White House ambitions to support an unpopular Iraq war. Republicans defended vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin in the face of fresh controversy.

Reprising the national security themes that propelled him to a second term, Bush said in prepared remarks, "We must stay on offense, stop attacks before they happen and not wait to be hit again." He spoke from the White House in a brief speech that was beamed into the convention.

Inside the hall, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson said Palin, the Alaska governor, was "from a small town, with small town values, but that's not good enough for those folks who are attacking her and her family."

He said McCain's decision to place her on the ticket "has the other side and their friends in the media in a state of panic."

"We need a president who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade," Thompson added.

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That was a jab at Barack Obama, McCain's White House rival, who said recently it was "above my pay grade" to decide the point at which an unborn child is entitled to rights.

Despite Thompson's remarks and McCain's declaration that he was satisfied with the scrutiny his aides had given Palin, there were fresh disclosures.

Among them: that both as governor of Wasilla, Alaska, and as governor, she had sought earmarks for local projects. Her most recent round of requests totaled $300 for every Alaskan. McCain has frequently vowed to veto any earmark legislation, and has said she will be a force in his battle to wipe them out.

Additionally, the lawyer hired to defend Palin in an ethics investigation said he also is representing her personally and is permitted to bill the state up to $95,000 for work in the current case. The issue involves the dismissal of public safety commissioner Walt Monegan after he refused to fire a state trooper who had divorced the governor's sister.

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