California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addresses the delegates at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, August 31. (Photo: © AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Tuesday, August 31—"I always knew America was the place for me," said California Governor and former actor Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Republican National Convention in New York City. Schwarzenegger was a primetime speaker on the second day of the convention, preceding the addresses of the Bush daughters and First Lady Laura Bush.

Schwarzenegger's speech focused on how his life story was another version of the American dream—the immigrant's story. He was very well received with the crowd at the convention. Several members of the California delegation even wore Terminator-style sunglasses.

"In school, when the teacher would talk about America, I would daydream about coming here. I would daydream about living here," Schwarzenegger said.

The newly elected California Governor shared how he was born and raised in Austria, which was then partly occupied by the Soviet Union. Schwarzenegger, who was "not an action hero back then," described his fear of the soldiers. He explained that today, however, "the world no longer fears the Soviet Union, and it is because of the United States of America."

As a child, he always dreamed about one day being able to live in America, "Everything about America seemed so big to me, so open, so possible."

Schwarzenegger's dream didn't come true until 1968, when he arrived in the United States with only his own hope and determination.

Schwarzenegger became a Republican before he could even speak English. He quoted a time when he was deeply inspired by President Nixon's campaign speech, which Schwarzenegger's English-speaking friend translated to German for him. "I said to my friend, I said, "What party is he? My friend said, 'He's a Republican.' I said, 'Then I am a Republican.' And I have been a Republican ever since," the Governor said.

Proud to Be an American

This young immigrant was proud to be a Republican, but also extremely proud of being American. He would never forget the day, he said, 21 years ago when he took the oath of citizenship.

"Do you know how proud I was? I was so proud that I walked around with an American flag around my shoulders all day long," Schwarzenegger said.

Governor Schwarzenegger chose to highlight America's large contribution to the international community as another sign of the country's compassion. "We are the America that sends out the Peace Corps volunteers to teach our village children. We are the America that sends out the missionaries and doctors to raise up the poor and the sick. We are the America that gives more than any other country to fight AIDS in Africa and the developing world. And we are the America that fights not for imperialism, but for human rights and democracy."

Schwarzenegger did not spend a lot of time mentioning the Democratic Party, but he did include a comment about his Hollywood career. "One of my movies was called True Lies, and that's what the Democrats should have called their convention," he said.

President George Bush, on the other hand, was described by Schwarzenegger as "a man of perseverance. He's a man of inner strength. He is a leader who doesn't flinch, who doesn't waiver, and does not back down."

Many compare Schwarzenegger to former President Ronald Reagan, who also went from being a Hollywood actor to California Governor. Schwarzenegger, however, is not eligible to run for President of the U.S. because he is not a natural-born citizen.

"In this country, it doesn't make any difference where you were born. It doesn't make any difference who your parents were. It doesn't make any difference if you're like me and couldn't even speak English until you were in your 20s. America gave me opportunities, and my immigrant dreams came true," he said.