[img_assist|nid=2408|title=U.S. Sen. John Ensign at the Republican National Convention|desc=Getty Images Photo|link=none|align=none|width=420|height=328]Below is a transcript of remarks made by U.S. Sen. John Ensign (R-Las Vegas) at the Republican National Convention Thursday evening, as prepared for delivery.

Good evening.

I'm Senator John Ensign, Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

I was first elected to Congress in 1994.

You probably remember it as the year of the Contract with America.

After 40 years of a Democrat majority in the House of Representatives, it was time to put the focus of government back on freedom and opportunity.

We came to Washington with real ideas and real solutions.

We enacted welfare reform and freed countless people from poverty.

We worked to lift the burden of oppressive taxes from American families.

We scaled back regulation and bureaucracy.

Our inspiration was a man whose vision will forever guide our nation -- President Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan was a true champion of freedom.

He understood that when we stand for freedom, we always win.

And he never wavered in that belief.

Nor should we.

To stray from freedom is to turn our backs on the 42 million Americans who have served our nation on the frontlines of freedom by donning the uniform of the United States Military.

They are proof of how sacred freedom is.

One of those Americans is Jacob Fogel from my home state of Nevada.

Jacob graduated from Elko High School and joined the U.S. Navy.

He deployed to Iraq, where he worked under the threat of terrorist attack to help construct bridges.

He lost friends who fell beside him on the field of battle.

Jacob knows the price of freedom.

He put it this way: "Nobody really knows what freedom is like until you have to fight for it."
John McCain knows freedom.

He has fought for it and sacrificed for it.

He has proudly served this nation as a combat aviator and a public servant.

It is impossible to imagine the horrific experiences he survived as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

But I can guarantee one thing: John McCain knows what it means to be free.

If we fail to elect leaders who understand that, we also fail as freedom's keepers.  We are facing one of the most important national elections in generations.

If the Democrats win a stronger majority in the United States Senate, our nation will move farther and farther from the principles of freedom.

The vision of Ronald Reagan will be replaced by an agenda of bigger government, higher taxes, and less security.

The choice in this election is clear.

Do you want a country more dependent on Middle Eastern oil and crippled by higher gas prices?

OR do you want a country with its own innovative energy supply?

Do you want a government-run healthcare system that takes the choice away from patients?

OR do you want a system that gives you control over your own health care?

Do you want bigger government and higher taxes?

OR do you want to eliminate wasteful Washington spending and keep more of your hard-earned money?

Do you want Democrats to eliminate the right to a secret ballot, letting big union bosses run rampant over employers and employees?

OR do you want Republicans to protect workers' rights?

Do you want judges who legislate from the bench?

OR do you want judges who strictly adhere to the Constitution and our laws?

And most importantly, do you want those who do not understand that there is true evil in the world to dictate our foreign policy?

OR do you want to continue to stand up to radical Islamic extremists?

Republicans are on the right side of these critical issues, because we will always champion freedom.

We know that sacrifices are made every single day to strengthen, protect, and honor that freedom.

That is why we must work to take back the majority in the United States Senate -- make Sarah Palin our next Vice President -- and elect John McCain our Commander in Chief.

This is the great cause of our party -- and I ask each of you to give everything you have to this cause in the months ahead.

Inspire Americans with the fundamental ideals of the Republican party: freedom and opportunity.

And make sure that they turn out to vote in this election...

On November 4th, freedom is on the ballot.

In addition to the Presidency, there are ten key races that will decide the makeup of the U.S. Senate.

If we want strict constructionist judges... less dependence on foreign oil... tort reform... healthcare choices... and lower taxes -- we need to elect Republicans to these seats.

If we want to protect freedom, we must win these Senate races, and we must win the White House.

Let's work together to keep the freedom that we all cherish.

God bless you, and God bless America.