While my presidential campaign is no longer active, I have included below the balance of my original speech as to why I chose to run.

I entered the race for the presidency early this year because I felt that I offered what so many people were calling for in a new candidate ­ one who was a true conservative and whose background, experience and stand on the issues would adequately address America¹s problems, protect us from the uncommon dangers we face, secure our borders, preserve our liberties, and get the job done right and on time with all the urgency the situation demands. Make no mistake; we are fighting for national survival and for the future of western civilization. 

While I have not formally withdrawn from the race, John McCain appears to have locked in the nomination, and I have therefore chosen to support his candidacy as he moves forward to the convention and the general election. 

I enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Private, became an infantryman and worked my way up through the ranks retiring as a Major General. Along the way, I earned three college degrees by attending night school.

As a General I am trained to lead, not to politic; to protect and defend our country, not to equivocate; to make decisions, and not to delegate them.

Generals lead where politicians hesitate to tread. If the American people want a politician as President, I am not their man. I am their man if they are looking for a proven leader. 

AS THE LEADER OF THIS GREAT NATION, MY GOAL WILL BE TO:

• Secure and protect our borders.

• Restore our nation¹s historic and foundational principles.

• Encourage and preserve the traditional family.

• Protect the lives of unborn babies.

• See that our laws are respected.

• Bring discipline and learning back to our schools.

• Achieve energy independence while protecting the environment.

• Protect American jobs.

• Keep America a great nation.

MY POSITIONS:

As President of the United States I will lead this great nation in accordance with the intent of our founding fathers.

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I will protect our nation from the evil attacks of fanatics, whether they are terrorists or simply misguided zealots of the political left or right.

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I will work to replace fear with hope, injustice with justice, and ignorance with knowledge.

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I will secure our borders by treating this as a national security issue, calling in the Secretary of Defense and giving instructions to seal the border within 90 days. Never, never, never underestimate the effectiveness of our military in protecting America.

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I will neither support nor tolerate offering amnesty to those who have broken our laws. I do support the adoption of a fair and intelligent guest worker program.

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Immigration laws must be critically reviewed and updated. Until a comprehensive immigration plan is adopted, it is in the nation¹s best interests to put stringent limitations on all immigration. Illegal immigrants caught crossing the border will be summarily returned to the south side of the border and released; ³Illegals² involved in the commission of a crime will be immediately processed, punished if merited and deported.

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The surge in Iraq is working and all of us Democrats and Republicans should fully support our military¹s success in prosecuting the war. We all want our soldiers to come home, but only as soon as the job is done.

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I support the modern day State of Israel¹s right to exist as a sovereign nation and to defend that right against attack. The United States has extended friendship to Israel and has provided both military and economic assistance.  Under my leadership, that friendship would continue and be strengthened.

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Our nation has too many people locked up in prison for non-violent, non-sex offender crimes. Surely there are better, alternative ways to punish them that will put their talents and energies to use in constructive ways.

Sitting in prison for month after month benefits neither society nor the offender. 

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We must do whatever it takes to balance our trade and capital accounts. Our huge trade deficits are seriously damaging our economy and cannot be sustained indefinitely.

Where our trading partners are using currency manipulation to subsidize their manufactured goods, the U.S. should attach an "equalization fee" to their exports to help level the import-export playing field.

America can win in international trade with a level playing field. It cannot win with the current barriers to our exports. Half measures and endless time consuming negotiations, absent a far more forceful U.S. negotiating position, will only witness more massive accumulations of trade deficits, undermine America's strategic financial strength, make us vulnerable to blackmail by those with titanic reserves, and otherwise weaken our country in the very area that was our ultimate strength, our financial power.

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Let us not forget that fifty percent of all economic growth occurs in the small business sector. Small businesses need tax breaks, economic incentives, and a significant reduction in federal regulations.

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Our nation can become energy independent while, at the same time, protecting the environment. Clean coal technology can significantly reduce reliance on foreign oil aided by a significant increase in nuclear power generation. Oil drilling activities can be safely and cleanly expanded. Added to this can be the benefits derived from ocean wave power generation and aluminum oxide fuel cells to power motor vehicles. Our national goal should be to generate sufficient domestic power to meet all our current energy needs.

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Around the world I will seek to build, mend and restore relationships with other nations and international organizations, and will work to establish fair trade and peace agreements. There should be a complimentary effort in our nation to study and understand foreign languages and foreign cultures.

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In our schools, in addition to being strong administrators, our principals should be trained to restore classroom discipline and to be strong leaders.

Teachers¹ salaries should be made competitive with those of the private sector. I will strongly support the development of curricular initiatives that foster literacy, the study of history, music, art, science, mathematics, geography and great literature. I also support home schooling as a valid alternative method of education.

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Computers are fast becoming a separate form of communication. Let us encourage our children, as they learn to use them, to also learn how to think critically. They need to be taught how to adjust their lives to this continuously changing technology.

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I will seek out creative private sector initiatives to ensure that all of our citizens have the health care they need. This includes cost-effective prevention, chronic-care management, the elderly living out their final years with dignity, respect and honor, and placing personal responsibility for a plan¹s execution with the individual and the family.

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Human life is precious. We must stop those who would destroy stem cell embryos and would kill unborn children, our elderly and the disadvantaged.

If a human life is not secure and protected within the sanctity of the mother¹s womb or in a nursing home, it will not be safe walking along the streets of our cities.

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I will encourage society¹s return to civility, where people disagree without being disagreeable, where they enjoy speaking to each other thoughtfully and respectfully, and where common courtesy is the order of the day.

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I will encourage Members of Congress to model this civility and to focus on issues that really concern the American people, not just on inside-the-beltway political agendas.

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Finally, I will insist that both political parties work together to balance the federal budget and keep taxes, spending, and the size of government low.

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Let us walk hand in hand with those whose views are similar to ours. Let us work in a spirit of collegiality with those whose views are different.