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Bush: 'The man we need is John McCain'

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- John McCain's life has prepared him to make hard choices and lead the United States, President George Bush told Republican delegates in St. Paul, Minn.

"We live in a dangerous world," Bush said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday via satellite from Washington to the Republican National Convention. "And we need a president who understands the lessons of Sept. 11, 2001: That to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain."

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is an independent thinker who's "not afraid to tell you when he disagrees," Bush said. "No matter what the issue, this man is honest and speaks straight from the heart."

Bush said the ticket of McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin makes him optimistic about "our future, because I believe in the goodness and wisdom of the American people."

"When the debates have ended, and all the ads have run, and it is time to vote, Americans will look closely at the judgment, the experience and the policies of the candidates -- and they will cast their ballots for the McCain-Palin ticket," Bush said.

Three more RNC protesters arrested

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Police arrested at least three protesters Tuesday near the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., just one day after nearly 300 were cuffed.

The three were arrested during a rally and march by a group protesting poverty and homelessness, Minneapolis television station KARE reported.

Officers handcuffed a woman and, in a separate incident, took man and a woman into custody after a brief confrontation following a rally by the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign.

KARE reported about 50 people watched the arrests and chanted, "Let them go, let them go!"

"We are going to interview people, look at tape to make very definitive determinations about what the basis for each charge will be," St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said of the people taken into custody Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, court appearances began Tuesday for the 283 people arrested Monday, 130 for felonies, WCCO-TV reported.

Police said the process in Ramsey County Courthouse was slowed when 22 people would not give their names.

"We are struggling to use fingerprints and other forms of identification," Harrington said.

A judge said if the 22 did not reveal their names, they would be held in contempt of court.

Ron Paul has counter-rally in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Followers of one-time Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul met in Minneapolis Tuesday as a counter-rally to the Republican National Convention.

The Texas congressman's sold-out Rally for the Republic kicked off his "Campaign for Liberty," an effort to support politicians with views similar to his and present his ideas to the public, just across the Mississippi River from the RNC gathering in Minnesota's capital, St. Paul.

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura told the rally's audience he would consider a presidential run in 2012, depending on what he sees after this election.

Ventura said he would watch what happens between now and the next presidential election, then decide "whether it's worth it," the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reported.

Paul, meanwhile, did not offer support for his party's all-but-certain presidential nominee, calling John McCain "the lesser of two evils," ABC News reported.

In an interview with CSPAN, Paul said he was remaining a Republican, rather than initiating a third-party presidential run, because he thought he could be more effective to press his views as a major-party member.

Poll: Obama reaches highest support yet

PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has reached his highest share of support to date, the latest Gallup Poll indicates.

The Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows the Illinois senator leading Republican presidential hopeful John McCain 50 percent to 42 percent.

Up until the poll from Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, Obama led by no more than 49 percent of registered voters. McCain has had no greater than 48 percent support, which he enjoyed in late April and early May, Gallup said.

"This, in part, reflects movement of voters toward Obama over the course of the Democratic National Convention, a lead which has been sustained in subsequent days," Gallup said in its analysis.

The Daily tracking numbers are based on combined data from Aug. 30-Sept. 1 from a sample of 2,772 registered voters. The maximum margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Simpson co-defendant wants own trial

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- A co-defendant in O.J. Simpson's armed robbery case in Las Vegas still wants a separate trial or delay, his attorney said Tuesday.

Robert Lucherini, a lawyer representing Clarence "C.J." Stewart, said he plans to the Nevada Supreme Court to take another look at his request to separate Stewart's case or delay next week's scheduled trial start, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. His request was initially rejected by a lower court judge and a state high court panel also turned him down last week.

The defense attorney contends Simpson's notoriety will negatively affect his client's chances of getting a fair trial.

Simpson's attorney said he's ready to go to trial, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, a witness in the Simpson case is offering himself up for sponsorships during the trial that starts next week.

Thomas Riccio, a sports memorabilia dealer, allegedly arranged the September 2007 meeting between Simpson and a pair of sports memorabilia dealers who claim they were robbed in a Las Vegas hotel room.

He says for $5,000 he will mention a product during television interviews his publicist is trying to schedule, KVUU-TV of Henderson, Nev., reported Tuesday. He has set rates for other promotions, as well, a press release said.