(Media – compare with delivery)

I want to thank the people of Oklahoma for your warm welcome and support for the idea of launching my presidential campaign from your state.

And so tonight – from this podium, in the heart of Oklahoma and the heartland of America, I am announcing that I, Jerry Ralph Curry, am entering the 2008 race for the Presidency.

As the heartland of the country, I believe Oklahoma is a proving ground for my message—that if it resonates here, it will resonate with the American people everywhere.

I also feel a fond attachment to Oklahoma because Charlene and I were posted at Fort Sill during the 1950’s and our oldest daughter, Charlie, was born here.   

Sometimes funny things happen at political conventions. Sometimes the delegates elect the best candidate, one that can win.  Sometimes one comes from behind, one that becomes the choice when none of the other choices will do.

Because I’m entering the presidential race so late, it may seem mathematically impossible for me to secure enough delegates to win the Republican nomination.   But Republican voters here in Oklahoma, and throughout the rest of the country,  don’t care much about that. They care more about winning the White House than the delegate count going into a convention. The fact is -- today they don’t see a Republican candidate in the field who they can believe in -- or at least not one they believe can beat Hillary or Obama.   That’s why the Wall Street Journal wrote on January 16th of this year that Republican “voters are still sifting the field, searching for their next leader. In their wisdom, the voters are looking for someone who can rise to the occasion.”     

I believe that’s me. And I’ve come to Oklahoma to enter this race because I love this country and I see that we are in great need of leadership…I see that these are perilous times and we dare not shrink back from addressing the risks that confront us.

My entire life—from the time I was an Eagle Scout—until I enlisted in the Army as a private and fought my way up through the ranks to the grade of major general,  my life  has been spent in leading and being trained to lead  --- on the battlefield, in foreign countries, and in Washington. My specialty has been fixing problems others find too difficult to fix.   That’s why I believe that I can beat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama in this fall’s general election for president.   

Hillary could become president, but she can never successfully fulfill the duties of Commander in Chief. Not because she is a woman. I support women in leadership. Rather, it is because of her example in dealing with our military. 

Remember earlier this year in a time of war, in front of the U.S. Senate, Hillary publicly called one of our most loyal and distinguished warriors, General David Petraeus, a liar.  She did this with no cause, and no facts to back her up, without even paying him the respect of having a private conversation with him. It was just a cheap political stunt, and it undermined our military leadership’s loyalty and confidence in the office of the president --- should she be elected.

Because of this cowardly act --- she knows full well that General Petraeus is not allowed to defend himself against her allegations  --- she has forfeited her right to ever become the Commander in Chief of our military forces.  If she would unfairly malign the integrity and reputation of one of our finest generals without cause, what would she do to our armed forces should she become president and Commander in Chief?   One of the reasons why our generals were so effective and successful in WWII was because they knew that no matter what happened, no matter what went wrong, that the president, the Commander in Chief, would support them and their decisions.   Today’s military leaders suspect that if an honest mistake is made on the battlefield and should Senator Clinton be president at the time, she would publicly denounce them and vilify them in front of the nation.

For this reason, this undermining of our military, Hillary Rodham Clinton can never be trusted to exercise the duties of Commander in Chief. General George Washington, our first President, said it in a less diplomatic way.   He said:  “Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.”  

On the other hand, Senator Barack Hussein Obama has much to be admired. Ten years from now he might be the perfect candidate for president. He means well, but that’s not good enough to make tough decisions as the Commander in Chief. He has no military experience and no foreign affairs knowledge and skills. Were he to be elected president, he would have to use the office of president and our nation as a training ground. For that reason, he will not be ready to take over the duties of Commander in Chief any time soon.  

It is because neither Hillary nor Barack is now capable of being Commander in Chief that they are inhibited in their proper handling of the illegal immigration crisis.  

The first thing to do in handling illegal immigration is to close the borders. You do that by calling in the Secretary of Defense and saying, “This is a national security matter. That’s why I’m wearing my Commander in Chief’s hat. I don’t want terrorists and drug smugglers crossing our borders.   Mister Secretary, do whatever has to be done, wall or no wall, use reservists, National Guard or active duty troops, but close the border within 90 days.”  So 90 days later –- or sooner, the Secretary of Defense would report back that the border is secured.  

Today, our American way of life is in danger. To survive we need a strong, tested leader of proven mettle to navigate and pilot us through these uncommon dangers. American jobs are worth fighting for. And the budget must be balanced, the dollar strengthened, taxes, inflation and the size of government must be kept down, and middle class tax cuts must be restored. We must do whatever it takes to balance our trade and capital accounts. These huge trade deficits are seriously damaging our economy and they cannot be sustained indefinitely.       

Energy independence can be attained and, at the same time, the environment can be protected. We are answerable to future generations for our stewardship of the environment.      

My autobiography, From Private to General, and my wife’s autobiography, The General’s Lady, detail our experiences while living across the United States and overseas.   Perhaps it is because Charlene and I have lived overseas for so many years that we have come to understand, in some small ways, the threat of Islamic terrorism.  

For Muslims there has never been a day more filled with promise and sunshine within which they could bask in the blessings of liberty than today. However, if Muslims want their countries to have the same guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that we in America naturally enjoy, they are going to have to fight their tyrannical Islamic political leaders and religious terrorists for themselves –to the death. A few are ready to do that, but working against them is the growing realization that greater Islam, like Soviet communism, is not easily reformed. 

Today countries like Saudi Arabia, surrounded by ravenous nations suckled and grown large in the bosom of Islamic terrorism, hope that if they feed these crocodiles enough choice morsels from the hides of the United States and Israel, that they will be spared.  

They are wrong. They will not be spared and neither will we if we do not stand against this tide.   On February 5th, you the people of Oklahoma can change the course of this election and the course of American history. 

You can help draw a line in the sand – against the threat of terrorism, against the hazards of illegal immigration, against the scourge of abortion, against big government and excessive taxes, and against the creeping menace of liberalism that denies the original intent of our Founding Fathers. 

If you are a conservative and you don’t see a true conservative among the Republican candidates, then I am your man. I am willing and eager to carry your message to the nation. 

Oklahoma: please join me in this grand fight for our future.

Please support the “Curry for America” campaign and know that you are supporting a proven leader for a strong America. 

Thank you. Thank you, very much. 

God Bless America.

For additional information contact Scot Small National Campaign Spokesperson, 703.696.6183, scots@curryforamerica.com