Highlights: Day One

NEW YORK – No one ever said New York was a Republican kind of town, but the GOP did its best to take a bite out of the Big Apple as its National Convention got underway Monday.

As we did during the Democratic National Convention from Boston, FOXNews.com will bring you a daily wrap-up of political highlights. Click on the highlighted words to read the related stories and also check out video of the main speeches.

John McCain and Rudy Giuliani capped off the day from Madison Square Garden. They both praised the leadership and determination of President Bush while raising doubts about his Democratic challenger, John Kerry. Take a look at Liza Porteus' overview of the day.

McCain also took aim at Michael Moore, the filmmaker who has been a vocal opponent of Bush and the war with Iraq. Sitting as a member of the press, Moore flashed an "L" sign with his right thumb and index finger — the international symbol for "loser" — when the crowd booed after McCain alluded to Moore as a " disingenuous filmmaker."

So how do Republicans really feel about John Kerry? Aside from the expected partisan criticisms, some Republicans took a jab at Kerry for the three Purple Hearts he was awarded for injuries sustained in the Vietnam War.

Republicans ratified their party's convention platform Monday. Some see the document as both a valentine to Bush's first term as well as a more socially conservative blueprint for the future.

Delegates to the convention found that their names and other bits of personal information showed up on a Web site. The Secret Service is investigating.

Not all Republicans necessarily felt completely welcome. The Log Cabin Republicans, a national group of gay and lesbians who belong to the GOP, released an ad saying their party was intolerant over the issue of gay marriage. But some Log Cabin members soldiered on.

A day after a massive protest march made its way past the garden, the number of protesters dropped significantly as the demonstrations became more focused on specific issues.

New York City was ready for the convention and authorities made sure the rails running directly beneath the Garden were secure. And everywhere anyone looked, there were cops and more cops.

The mostly Democratic city found itself wondering how it could both welcome the delegates (and their dollars) while letting its pro-Kerry feelings be known. Still, Republican leaders sang the city's praises.

FOXNews.com's crew of reporters and editors made their way onto the convention floor, into caucus meetings and through cocktail parties. Here's some of what they found:

— The American-Israel Political Action Committee hosted a party for Jewish Republicans. FOX's Sharon Kehnemui made her way through the 1,500 people at Chelsea Piers, where party-goers discussed Bush's attributes as well as spy charges against Israel. (Elsewhere in New York, the focus was on Catholic voters.)

— A couple dozen people mounted a protest against Republicans in the Garden. But they weren't Democrats. They were conservative members of the GOP who feel the so-called "big tent" should be folded. Peter Brownfeld caught up with them.

— Wonder what Florida Republicans are thinking four years after their state became ground zero in the 2000 presidential race? Check out this report.

— Kelley Beaucar Vlahos dug into the themes Republicans are trying to stress during their four days in New York City.

— The father of the 43rd president (himself the 41st president) didn't speak to the convention delegates but spoke against the backdrop of the USS Intrepid. George H.W. Bush had some words for critics of his son's war policy.

Bush's twin daughters told an interviewer that their secret to their dad's success is their mom, Laura. Seems a good chunk of the public feels the same way.

For his part, Bush campaigned in New Hampshire, where he boasted that unemployment kept dropping "every second."

As a counter to the Republicans' party, John Edwards — the No. 2 on the Democratic ticket — has especially harsh words for Bush, saying the president had failed as a leader.

And Democrats took shots at Bush's comments that the War on Terror may never be won.