The success of this week's Republican Convention sent a warning shot across the bows of what had been until now an over-confident Obama camp. From Rudy Giuliani's barnstorming address to Sarah Palin's electrifying debut, it was a powerful re-affirmation that conservatism is alive and well and far from being on its death bed in America.
Watching from Washington, by far the most impressive aspect of the Convention was the unabashed and unapologetic patriotism that ran through it, including a constant recognition of the sacrifice of American forces in the war against Islamist terrorism. The most poignant moment of the week's proceedings was the video tribute to a U.S. navy seal, Michael Monsoor, who sacrficed his own life to save that of his comrades by throwing himself on a grenade in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. Mansoor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The moving video can be viewed here on YouTube.
"Country first" was the winning slogan that ran through the Convention, a call for all Americans to place nation before self. It was also a reminder that conservatives in America would never submit their foreign policy to the dictats of supranational institutions such as the United Nations. I think I heard the UN mentioned only once in a major Convention speech, in the context of the Russian invasion of Georgia, and it was roundly met with hoots of derision.
When British Conservatives gather in Birmingham later this month, they should not be afraid to make the recognition of the sacrifice and heroism of Britain's armed forces a centrepiece. Nor should they shy away from open displays of patriotism and love for country, a reminder that Britain, like the United States, is a great nation and a beacon of liberty and hope for the world.