During a night replete with references to the September 11, 2001 attacks, some of the Republican Party’s most popular figures described President Bush as uniquely capable of guiding the nation in the war against terrorism.

One of the most passionate tributes to Mr. Bush’s wartime leadership came from the night’s keynote speaker, Mayor Giuliani. It came yesterday in the first of four nightly sessions of the Republican National Convention that will continue here at Madison Square Garden until Thursday.

“President Bush’s response in keeping us unified and in turning the ship of state around from being solely on defense against terrorism to being on offense as well, and for holding us together, for that, and then his determined effort to defeat global terrorism, no matter what happens in this election. President George W. Bush already has earned a place in our history as a great American president,” Mr. Giuliani said. “You and I we’re not going wait for history to present the correct view of our president. Let’s write our own history. We need George Bush now more than ever.”

Mr. Giuliani described Mr. Bush as a pillar of strength for America and the world in a difficult time. The former mayor compared Mr. Bush to leaders like President Reagan and Winston Churchill.

“Since September 11th, president Bush has remained rock solid. It doesn’t matter – it doesn’t matter to him how he is demonized. It doesn’t matter to him what the media does to ridicule him or misinterpret him or defeat him,” Mr. Giuliani said. “Some call it stubbornness, I call it principled leadership.”

While insisting that he was not criticizing the Democratic nominee for president, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, Mr. Giuliani said Mr. Kerry would not be as strong a leader.

“President Bush sees world terrorism for the evil that it is. John Kerry has no such clear, precise and consistent vision,” Mr. Giuliani said.

Mr. Giuliani said the September 11 attacks were the culmination of a global failure to deal with terrorism decades ago, particularly attacks carried out by Palestinian Arab militants.

“Terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community. Too often the response particularly in Europe was accommodation, appeasement and compromise,” Mr. Giuliani said.

Mr. Giuliani also faulted Mr. Kerry for changing his position on the security fence that Israel is building to prevent terror attacks from Palestinian Arabs.

Senator McCain of Arizona also delivered a forceful endorsement of Mr. Bush and his decision to take the nation to war in Iraq.

“I believe as strongly today as ever, the mission was necessary, achievable and noble,” Mr. McCain said. “Our choice wasn’t between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war. It was between war and a graver threat. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not our critics abroad. Not our political opponents.”

Mr. McCain rejected suggestions that Mr. Bush was eager to invade Iraq and unwilling to make the effort to build a broader international coalition.

“However just the cause, we should shed a tear for all that is lost when war claims its wages from us, but there is no avoiding this war. We tried that and our reluctance cost us dearly,” Mr. Mc-Cain said. “This president will not rest until America is stronger and safer still…. He has been tested and has risen to the most important challenge of our time and I salute him,” Mr. Mc-Cain said.

“I commend to my country the reelection of President Bush, and the steady, experienced, public-spirited man who serves as our vice president, Dick Cheney,” Mr. McCain said.

While the senator’s speech contained several critiques of Mr. Kerry’s policy proposals, Mr. McCain refrained from mentioning the Democratic nominee by name.

“I don’t doubt the sincerity of my Democratic friends and they should not doubt ours,” Mr. McCain said.

At one point, Mr. McCain lashed out at documentary producer Michael Moore, whose “Fahrenheit 9/11” is a harsh critique of Mr. Bush’s Iraq policy. The senator referred to Mr. Moore as “a disingenuous filmmaker who would have us believe that Saddam’s Iraq was an oasis of peace when in fact it was a place of indescribable cruelty, torture chambers, mass graves and prisons that destroyed the lives of the small children held inside their walls.”

When television cameras and some delegates spotted Mr. Moore sitting in the press stands, the crowd erupted in boos and chants of “Four more years,” forcing Mr. McCain to briefly suspend his speech. Mr. Moore was apparently at Madison Square Garden to prepare an op-ed piece for USA Today.

The senator closed with a rousing call for national unity and support for Mr. Bush.

“Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Do not flinch. Stand up. Stand up with our President and fight. We’re Americans. We’re Americans and we’ll never surrender. They will,” Mr. McCain vowed.

One of the first to take the gloves off against Mr. Kerry last night was the speaker of the house, Rep. Dennis Hastert of Illinois.

“Does anybody really know where John Kerry stands on the war? You know he has voted for it and against it. My friends, this is no time to pick a leader who is weak on the war and wrong on taxes,” Mr. Hastert said.

The speaker also faulted Mr. Kerry’s domestic agenda, saying that it would jeopardize economic growth.

“He’s on the wrong side of taxation. He’s on the wrong side of litigation. And he’s on the wrong side of regulation,” Mr. Hastert said. “These are the job killers. They add costs onto our products and put America workers at a disadvantage.”

Another New Yorker who paid tribute to Mr. Bush last night was a former New York police commissioner, Bernard Kerik.

“I think of the courage it took for our commander in chief to land on an airstrip in the dark of night, a world away, to be with the troops on Thanksgiving morning. He was there for them as he was here for us right in New York City, inspiring a nation as he stood on hallowed ground, supporting the first responders,” Mr. Kerik said.

Mr. Kerik also took a swipe at Mr. Kerry, while not mentioning him by name.

“This fight against terrorism takes decisiveness, not contradiction. It takes support for our troops and first responders, not votes against our military, against our intelligence and against our law enforcement spending,” Mr. Kerik said.

Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico led a tribute to veterans. She also praised Mr. Bush for his steady leadership.

“In this great struggle, we need a commander in chief who is a beacon, not a weather vane,” Ms. Wilson said.

The selection of politically moderate speakers for several prime-time slots and the relative dearth of social conservatives has drawn criticism that the party is hiding its true colors.

“They’re going to run a kind of Potemkin convention where they will have people on the stage who don’t run the Congress, don’t run the administration, but are going to be putting the kinder and gentler compassionate conservative look on this administration,” Senator Clinton said Sunday on ABC.

The Republicans also put forward a former federal prosecutor to defend the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism law that has been criticized by civil libertarians.

The ex-prosecutor, Robert Khuzami, called the legislation “a critical tool in the effort to prevent future terrorist acts.” He hailed Mr. Bush for proposing the law.

“It extends time-honored legal principles and practices to the new challenges posed by global terrorist networks,” Mr. Khuzami said. “Some politicians have waffled over their commitment to safeguarding America. We will have the leadership that will continue to protect both our lives and our liberties by re-electing President George W. Bush.”

An actor who is a New York native, Ron Silver, told the delegates that liberals who are concerned about human rights should be giving their support to Mr. Bush.

“I find it ironic that many human rights advocates and outspoken members of my own entertainment community are often on the front lines to protest repression, for which I applaud them, but they are usually the first ones to oppose any use of force to take care of these horrors that they catalogue repeatedly,” Mr. Silver said.

“The president is doing exactly the right thing. And that is why we need this president, this time!” Mr. Silver shouted.

The party did its best yesterday to portray itself as hip and in sync with New York without alienating conservative delegates.

Near the start of last night ‘s session, delegates were shown a fast paced video modeled on Saturday Night Live’s opening sequence. The tape showed pictures of Mr. Giuliani, Mr. McCain, and other luminaries on billboards located around the city. In a nod to another demographic, several modestly dressed performers sang a medley of Broadway show tunes.

Mr. McCain’s prominent role at the convention and his recent appearances with Mr. Bush on the campaign trail led to another flurry of speculation yesterday that the senator might join Mr. Bush on the ticket. Republican officials scoffed at the talk. They noted that Vice President Cheney was officially placed in nomination yesterday for re-election by the delegates.

“The party just re-nominated the vice president at that speaks for itself. He will be on the ticket. The party’s honored to have him,” said a spokeswoman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, Sharon Castillo.