WASHINGTON — President Bush promised today that the nation would be safer with Senator McCain as president, saying his courageous life and sound judgment make the Arizona senator the man Americans need in the White House.

“I’ve sat at the Resolute desk and received the daily intelligence briefings, the threat assessments and the reports from our commanders on the front lines,” Mr. Bush told delegates at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota via video hookup from the White House. “I know the hard choices that fall solely to a president. John McCain’s life has prepared him to make those choices.”

Mr. Bush added: “He is ready to lead this nation.”

The first lady, Laura Bush, introduced the president’s address from the podium inside the convention hall. She praised Mr. McCain’s choice of Governor Palin of Alaska as running mate, saying: “I’m proud that America’s first female vice president will be a Republican woman.”

She also extolled her husband’s record, citing issues from education reform to fighting AIDS around the globe. Much has changed over the last eight years, she said, but one thing has stayed constant: “George remains a man of strong values with enduring love for the United States of America.”