NEW YORK -- Some of Iowa's most dedicated Republican activists, gathered in New York this week to nominate George W. Bush once again, praised the president for his acceptance speech Thursday which focused on his plans if he is elected to a second term.

Jamie Van Fossen, of Davenport, serving as an alternate delegate at the convention, like Bush's calls for reforms of the tax code, making recent tax cuts permanent and ending "lawsuit abuse."

"He really laid out a plan," Van Fossen said. "He said he was going to talk about what he was going to do in the future, and that's what I was looking for.

Leon Mosley, who watched the speech from the convention floor, said his parts of the speech talked making life better for the middle class and the poor.

"He connected to the people, talking about his vision for the future," Mosley said.

He described the mood on the convention hall as "electrifying."

"People are really happy," Mosley said.

During the speech Bush touted his administration's gains in education with the No Child Left Behind program, tax relief, and assistance for America's seniors through a new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

And he promised to reform the tax code and health care and pension systems to reflect a changing society.

On foreign policy, Bush said the country should push for an "ever-widening circle" of liberty around the world.

But Democrat Dave Nagle, a former Congressman from Cedar Falls and former Iowa Democratic Party chairman, called the speech surprisingly partisan and a missed opportunity for Bush, especially parts of the speech where Bush referred to his religious convictions.

"His religious self-righteousness is alienating a bloc of Americans who don't necessarily share his conviction that Republican policies are pre-ordained by God," Nagle said.