Republicans cast Bush in Churchill's image

Republicans marshalled their forces to bolster President George Bush’s image as a strong leader in treacherous times as they open their national convention in the city that felt the brunt of the worst terrorist attacks in US history.

The Republican National Convention was convening in New York today, a day after more than 100,000 people protesting Bush’s Iraq and domestic policies swarmed past Madison Square Garden, where the president will accept the party’s nomination for a second term on Thursday.