First lady Laura Bush speaks Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

St. Paul, Minn. ? Republicans began laying out a vigorous argument Tuesday for electing John McCain to the presidency, using the second day of their national convention here to portray the senator from Arizona as an independent-minded leader who would represent a clean break from the eight-year Bush administration.

After canceling most of its opening-day program because of Hurricane Gustav, the GOP returned to regular order Tuesday night with speeches from McCain friends and allies who extolled his judgment and character. Among them were Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, and President Bush, who spoke by satellite video from the White House and hailed the candidate as ready to make the tough choices necessary for keeping the country safe.

Bush singled out McCain’s vocal support for a troop “surge” in Iraq at a time when other lawmakers had lost confidence in the war.

To make the case that he, rather than Democratic rival Barack Obama, is the candidate who has the credentials to work across the aisle, McCain turned to his close friend Lieberman, who was ostracized by the Democratic Party for supporting Bush on the war.

Even as Republicans tried to regain a sense of normalcy after a tumultuous start to their convention, the atmosphere surrounding the gathering continued to be dominated by debate over the credentials of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate.