Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Speaks to the RNC to Standing Ovations … ““The challenge is real, and the times are hard, but America has met and overcome hard challenges before.”

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received a standing ovation as she spoke to the crowd at the Republican National Convention. As stated at the WSJ, Condi have a moving address to delegates at the Republican convention, broadly criticizing President Barack Obama’s record without ever mentioning him by name. The former Sec. of State knows that America needs leadership and not a President like Obama who leads from behind. Wow, what a speech by Condi. For some one who does not like public speaking and does not want to be involved in politics, her performance was so well done one would have thought she was running for Office in the near future. All that and never used a teleprompter during speech.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the experience and the integrity and the vision to lead us – they know who we are, what we want to be and what we offer the world.

Ms. Rice gravely described the challenges facing the country while at the same time, still sounding optimistic about the nation’s future.

“The challenge is real, and the times are hard, but America has met and overcome hard challenges before,” she told the delegates.

America, she said, “has a way of making the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect. But … It took leadership, and it took courage, and it took belief in our values.”

That was her lead-in to the GOP ticket.  Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, she said, “have the integrity and the experience and the vision to lead us. They know who we are. They know who we want to be. They know who we are in the world and what we offer.”

Full speech can be read HERE. Some excerpts from tonight’s speech:

Indeed that is the question of the moment- “Where does America stand?” When our friends and our foes, alike, do not know the answer to that question – clearly and unambiguously — the world is a chaotic and dangerous place. The U.S. has since the end of World War II had an answer – we stand for free peoples and free markets, we are willing to support and defend them – we will sustain a balance of power that favors freedom.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan understand this reality — that our leadership abroad and our well being at home are inextricably linked. They know what needs to be done. Our friends and allies must be able to trust us. From Israel to Poland to the Philippines to Colombia and across the world — they must know that we are reliable and consistent and determined. And our adversaries must have no reason to doubt our resolve — because peace really does come through strength. Our military capability and technological advantage will be safe in Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s hands.

Condi discusses energy independence and the economy. Both play greatly into foreign policy and security.

We must not allow the chance to attain energy independence to slip from our grasp. We have a great gift of oil and gas reserves here in North America that must be and can be developed while protecting our environment. And we have the ingenuity in the private sector to tap alternative sources of energy.

And most importantly, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will rebuild the foundation of American strength – our economy – stimulating private sector led growth and small business entrepreneurship. When the world looks at us today they see an American government that cannot live within its means. They see a government that continues to borrow money, mortgaging the future of generations to come. The world knows that when a nation loses control of its finances, it eventually loses control of its destiny. That is not the America that has inspired others to follow our lead.

Then came one of the best lines of the night.

And on a personal note– a little girl grows up in Jim Crow Birmingham – the most segregated big city in America – her parents can’t take her to a movie theater or a restaurant – but they make her believe that even though she can’t have a hamburger at the Woolworth’s lunch counter – she can be President of the United States and she becomes the Secretary of State. Yes, America has a way of making the impossible seem inevitable in retrospect. But of course it has never been inevitable – it has taken leadership, courage and an unwavering faith in our values.