Bush speech will not attack Obama

DENVER — The White House said Friday that President Bush will not attack Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama when the president speaks at the Republican convention on Monday because Bush has "got class."

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said that Bush's remarks will express gratitude to his friends and supporters, and he will explain why he thinks Republican candidate John McCain should be president. Perino said Bush will not make a case for his legacy, and he will not go after McCain's opponent.

{mosads}"Do not expect this speech to define the president's legacy," Perino said. "This is not an opportunity to recap accomplishments of the past seven and a half years. It will not serve as a farewell to the American people, and it certainly will not attack Barack Obama."

Perino said the president will not respond to the intense criticism he has been subjected to throughout four days of a Democratic convention where speakers and delegates consistently portrayed him in a villainous light.

"I'm not going to get into the — into a back-and-forth with the Democratic presidential candidate, who had a really good convention and — but we do recognize that this president has been unfairly attacked across the board by many Democrats for quite a while," Perino said. "But certainly as we get into this last eight weeks of the presidential campaign, tensions will probably flare, but this president has a lot of class, he's very gracious, and he also is very focused.  And so nothing gets him off his game."

Perino said that Bush's Monday night address "reviews the major issues facing the country, from terrorism and war to the economy and the direction of our culture."

"Above all, the speech reflects on the role of the presidency and the qualities that are demanded by the job, and makes the case that John McCain is the best qualified to be our next leader and commander-in-chief," Perino said.

Perino also said that Bush is "excited and energized" by McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Perino said the president called Palin Friday morning and wished her "good luck" in the campaign.

"I applaud Sen. McCain for selecting Gov. Palin," Bush said in a statement. "This decision is yet another example of why the American people can trust him to make wise decisions and to confidently lead this county."