Mixed Media: Republican showtime inside

BRITISH WEBSITE: The Republican Party rolled out its star on Tuesday night - and Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered, with one of the best speeches of the convention so far. And Arnie in primetime made perfect sense from the standpoint that he is the most famous Republican, with the possible exception of Mr Bush himself.

What other politician could use the phrase "Girly man" in a nationally televised speech?

And he was able to package the Republican Party's message in quite a compelling way.

"If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government, then you are a Republican," he said.

"If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does, then you are a Republican." - BBC correspondent Michael Buchanan

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MEDIA BLOGGER: I missed most of the Bush twins' speech at the convention because I was making my way back from listening to Arh-nuld in the hall to the basement bomb shelter (no joke) that is the media workspace.

So I will not pass judgment on their performance, but I can't say they went down to rave reviews.

Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz, who skewers both Republicans and Democrats alike when they make performance faux pas, asked: "What the hell were they thinking?" He thought that the person who signed off on the speech should probably get the sack. "Sex jokes about former first lady Barbara Bush?" he asked.

Paul Brownfield, of the Los Angeles Times , said: . "The Bush daughters ... introduced a new strategy in the war on terrorism: giggling." - BBC News Online's Kevin Anderson's weblog

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JEWISH PERSPECTIVE: In a bid to boost Jewish support for Bush, and perhaps in a nod to the number of Jews in his hometown, former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani delivered an address to the Republican convention that focused on the threat of terrorism, laced with references that resonated with the pro-Israel community.

Giuliani, who spoke with a huge image of the post-September 11 New York City skyline behind him, recalled the 1985 murder of Leon Klinghoffer, the wheelchair-bound Jewish passenger on the Achille Lauro who was dumped overboard by Palestinian terrorists.

He said the release of some of those involved led to terrorist acts becoming "like a ticket to the international bargaining table". - Jerusalem Post online edition

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ARAB VIEW: Bush has created a weight of debt which US citizens will not be able to shed for decades and has stretched the US military to the point that forces protecting the continental US are very thin on the ground. This means the US is more vulnerable than ever from attack by its inveterate enemies, particularly the Islamist militants who blame the US and Bush for Israel's brutal behaviour in the occupied Palestinian territories. Bush now admits that the war on Iraq was a catastrophic success and war on terror may not be won. If the peoples of the world were permitted to vote, Bush would not get four more years. - Michael Jansen, Jordan Times

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PROTEST WEBSITE: After the unprovoked mass arrests at the Critical Mass bike ride we can expect police to use a pattern of a) attempted containment, b) surge, c) demonstrative violence, and d) mass arrest. We can expect liberals to fear popular outrage at the war, Bush's contempt for democratic rights, and the NYPD's suppression of legitimate and non-violent protest. We're winning. The city is coming out. - Jed Brandt, Indymedia

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INDEPENDENT WEBSITE: From 30th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan streaming downtown, tens of thousands of union members joined a huge AFL-CIO Labour Day rally against George W. Bush. Featured were all the speakers you'd expect, including AFL-CIO head John Sweeney. A minister read the passage from Exodus about the burning bush, inspiring the crowd to chant: "Put Bush out".

Then James Gandolfini came before the crowd and spoke briefly and pithily. "I can't tell you how mad I am these people are in my city," the actor who plays Tony Soprano bellowed, pointing at Madison Square Garden. "I can't tell you how mad I am it took Bush four days to get here after 9/11."

And the crowd of New Yorkers - metal workers, transport workers, teachers - erupted. - Sidney Blumenthal, Salon