New York: Leading Republicans hailed President George W Bush as a "strong, consistent and tested" leader and denounced his Democratic challenger John Kerry as "inconsistent" as they opened their national convention which, they expect, would give a major boost to Bush's ratings.

Urging voters to give Bush "four more years," they defended the US war against Iraq as essential to destroy the pillar of terror and to liberate Iraqis from tyranny, the "success" of their leader's policy in Afghanistan and Libya and saluted his commitment to wage a sustained battle against terrorism.

Among the strong defender of Bush was Senator John McCain who has often criticised the President in the past.

"He (Bush) has been tested and has risen to the most important challenge of our time and I salute him," the Arizona senator said, describing the war on terror as a "fight between right and wrong, good and evil".

"For his determination to undertake it, and for his unflagging resolve to see it through a just end, President Bush deserves not only our support but our admiration," McCain said, adding Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq was "necessary, achievable and noble".

McCain, however, did not criticise Bush's opponent Kerry, who is his friend, and had also fought war in Vietnam. That task was left for others.

One of the strongest criticism of Kerry came from lawmaker Dennis Hastert who questioned the Democratic challenger's stance on both economy and war on Iraq.

"This is no time to pick a leader who is weak on the war and wrong on taxes. George W Bush is a strong leader with the right vision for America," he said.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani urged voters to put leadership at the core of their decision in November's Presidential elections. He painted Kerry as indecisive saying, "President Bush sees world terrorism for the evil that it is... John Kerry has no such clear, precise and consistent vision."

The delegates cheered when McCain took a swipe at Michael Moore whose documentary 'Fahrenheit 9-11' attacks Bush.

Without naming Moore, McCain described him as "disingenuous filmmaker who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace".

The crowd responded with boos for Moore who was attending the convention and chants of "four more years" for Bush.

The speakers, some of whom spoke with passion, rejected the suggestion that US stands isolated following its unilateral war in Iraq and counted Pakistan among its allies.

Taking heart from the opinion polls that depicted Bush and Kerry in virtual dead heat, the Republicans put most of their emphasis on defending Bush's position in Iraq, linking it to war against terrorism and arguing that it was needed to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into hands of terrorists.