RNC 2008 - Huckabee

Ontem fiquei até às tantas a ver a Convenção Republicana. Prometia ser uma noite de «dicursos quentes», e cumpriu-se essa promessa. O que revela a minha opinião de que, aos poucos, a organização da campanha de McCain se tem vindo a arrumar, e a providenciar condições para ganhar a eleição de Novembro. Primeiro Mike Huckabee, um excelente orador e uma figura simpática para as bases (gosto de o ouvir, mas detestaria vê-lo perto da Casa Branca), subiu ao palanque para agitar as consciências e ganhar as atenções. O seu discurso sobre o background dos verdadeiros republicanos, de raízes humildes, sobre os direitos civis, sobre Lincoln e, sobretudo, sobre o que os americanos devem aos veteranos como John McCain e os soldados:


Let me tell you about someone I know who understands this type of sacrifice.

On the first day of school in 2005, Martha Cothren, a teacher at the Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, was determined that her students would not take their education or their privileges as American for granted. And with the principal of her school's permission, she removed all the desks from her classroom on that first day of school, 2005.

Now, the students walked into an empty classroom and they said, "Ms. Cothren, where's our desk?" She said, "You get a desk in my classroom when you tell me how you earn it."

Well, some of them said, "Making good grades." She said, "Well, you ought to make good grades in my class, but that won't earn you a desk." Another student said, "I guess we get a desk when we behave." Martha said, "You will behave in my classroom."

But that won't get you a desk either. No one in first period guessed right. Same for second period. By lunch, the buzz was all over the campus. Ms. Cothren had flipped out, wouldn't let her students had a desk.

Kids started using their cell phones. They called their parents. And by early afternoon, all four of the local network TV affiliates had camera crews out at the school to report on this teacher who wouldn't let her students have a desk unless they could tell her how to earn it.

By the final period, no one had guessed correctly, so the students filed in. Martha said, "Well, I didn't think you would figure it out, so I'm going to tell you."

And with that, she went to the door of her classroom and motioned, and in walked over 20 veterans, some of them still wearing the uniforms from days gone by, every one of them carrying a school desk. And as they carefully and quietly arranged those desks in neat rows, Martha said, "You don't have to earn your desk, because these guys, they already did."

These -- these brave veterans had gone halfway around the world, giving up their education, interrupting their careers and families so that we could have the freedom that we have. Martha told them, "No one charged you for your desk, but it wasn't really free. These guys bought it for you. And I hope you never, ever forget it."


Pense-se o que se pensar de Mike Huckabee, este discurso, esta história, foi das mais importantes de toda a Convenção.