NEW YORK, Sept 1: Action hero turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered Republicans some Hollywood muscle Tuesday with a punchy speech for George W. Bush that tweaked his most famous movie line: "America is back!"

A mega star with giant biceps and the popular appeal to match, the Austrian-born California governor used his star turn on day two of the party convention to praise Bush's handling of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

"America is back! Back from the attack on our homeland, back from the attack on our economy, back from the attack on our way of life," he said in advance excerpts of his much-awaited speech.

"We're back because of the perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush," he said.

Schwarzenegger's differences from Bush and other party hard-liners on issues such as abortion keep him out of the Republican mainstream, but have made him a key draw in what has been a closely-fought election duel.

With polls showing Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry in a neck-and-neck race for the November 2 election, Republicans have been keen to appeal to the political centre just nine weeks before the election.

Schwarzenegger's warm remarks marked a turnabout from the chill between the two men since he became governor last year. Staying away from the shoals of their differences, however, Schwarzenegger instead touched on his history as a self-made man, rising from poverty in Austria to become a bodybuilding champion, international movie star and US politician.

"In this country, it doesn't make any difference where you were born," said Schwarzenegger, known around the world for his roles in "Terminator" and "Conan the Barbarian."

"It doesn't make any difference if, like me, you couldn't even speak English until you were in your 20s. America gave me opportunities, and my immigrant dreams came true," he said. "That's why I believe in this country, that's why I believe in this party - and that's why I believe in this president," he said. -AFP