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Bush speech �touches all key points� Medford delegate inspired by nominee By Paul Fattig PHILADELPHIA � Perry Atkinson could barely hear over the cheering throng Thursday night. But the message from Oregon�s state GOP chairman and delegation leader at the Republican National Convention came through loud and clear. "He hit it out of the ballpark � it was outstanding," the Medford resident said during an interview via a cell phone at the conclusion of George W. Bush�s speech. "He touched on all the key points � education, defense, restoring character to public office," he added. "One of the most touching moments for me was when he spoke out in behalf of the unborn." Atkinson said he was also impressed with Bush�s selection of Dick Cheney as his running mate. Cheney understands Western issues, he said. "It�s theirs to lose," Atkinson predicted of the GOP team�s chances in the November election. Atkinson got his own moment in the national spotlight when he introduced Oregon Senator Gordon Smith at the convention Wednesday night. Although Smith announced that Oregon�s 24 GOP delegate votes would go to George W. Bush, Atkinson gave a short speech bragging about Oregon and plugging Republican candidates in the state. John Parman, editor of The Siskiyou, the student newspaper at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, was also attending the convention as a representative of the media. He wrote an article on the convention for an Ohio newspaper . "I was impressed by some parts of his (Bush�s) speech," Parman said Thursday evening. "But this whole convention has been to evoke the past. They�ve been saying let�s go back to Reagan, to the senior Bush � the good old Republican days." Of all the speakers, Parman was most impressed by Colin Powell. "He transcended political boundaries," Parman said. "He could have given the exact same speech at the Democratic convention and received the same response." A sophomore majoring in journalism, Parman, who is a registered Independent, plans to be at the Democratic party convention when it begins in Los Angeles later this month. "I�d like to see how the Democrats do," he said. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA