2004 Democratic Convention

[DudeAsInCool]

Dick Morris called Clinton's speech a masterpiece:

Facing a national consensus that terror, Iraq and homeland security are the key issues, Bill Clinton dragged America back to the domestic issues on which Democrats retain a strong edge. Long after Clinton's recitation of his own achievements has faded, his effort to reinject health care, Social Security, Medicare, drug prices, education and crime into the national debate may endure.

By reminding voters how much they would support the Democratic agenda were it not for Bush's strong stance in fighting the War on Terror, he opens the door for a major shift of national issues to those on which Kerry has a clear edge.

Can John Kerry walk through the door that Bill Clinton has opened? Will he realize that he can't win on terrorism and focus on the domestic agenda on which Democrats can win?

By framing the issues as he did, Clinton articulated the differences between Democrats and Republicans without bashing Bush by name. By avoiding the four-letter word B-U-S-H and speaking instead of party positioning on key issues, he avoided the backlash that comes against any candidate who spends his convention time bashing his opponent. But, at the same time, he attacked Bush all the same by articulating the opposition in programmatic and partisan, rather than personal terms.

How odd that it took Clinton, the draft dodger, to make the case for Kerry the war hero. By speaking of "sailing the ship," Clinton has given Kerry a metaphor he can use for the rest of the campaign.

But one other four-letter word was almost entirely absent: I-R-A-Q. Clinton raised the possibility that a Democrat can again win not just by maximizing the domestic issues that dominated our attention before 9/11, but also by minimizing the war we are now in. Rallying his constituency and his program once again, he worked to roll back the clock to the simpler times in which we once lived.

But there is still a reality out there. Al Qaeda will be heard in this election. The date is not Sept. 10, 2001. The War on Terror is unavoidable. It will intrude into this contest and remind us of why we need Bush.

But for one night, in the thrall of the master's voice, we recognize the beat of the drummer to which we once marched.

And what of the contrast between Bill's speech and Hillary's introduction? How could one witness the modulated, varied, emotional delivery of the former president and not realize that the would-be president's delivery was flat, shrill and one-dimensional? The now brown-eyed lady from New York couldn't stand on the same platform with her husband.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/28228.htm

[Kooperman]

Dick Morris, disgraced and unrespected former Clinton advisor, is now down to working at a tabloid newspaper taking continuous shots at his former employers. He's a one-trick pony who would be unemployed if the hard-core right wing media owners weren't there to serve up lurid headlines. The NY Post is the official New York voice of the right-wing zealots. Even their sports page is trashy. It should definitely be noted that the owner of the NY Post, Rupert Murdoch, is also the owner of that "fair and balanced" Fox News Network.....

[DudeAsInCool]

He's a one-trick pony who would be unemployed if the hard-core right wing media owners weren't there to serve up lurid headlines. The NY Post is the official New York voice of the right-wing zealots.

Right. And for him to call Clinton's speech a masterpiece, says something...

Ratings were way down. Its a shame the public wasnt listening. The speech's were really terrific and outlined just why the Bush Administration is the worst outfit in American history bar none.

[DudeAsInCool]

Day 2 Speaker Lineup

Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator from South Dakota

Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont

Richard Gephardt, U.S. Representative from Missouri

Chris Heinz, Stepson of John Kerry

Teresa Heinz Kerry, Wife of John Kerry

Ted Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts

Carol Moseley-Braun, Former U.S. Senator from Illinois

[DudeAsInCool]

Democrats Offer a Simple Message Aimed at the Middle

By ROBIN TONER

Published: July 27, 2004

BOSTON, July 26 - Franklin Roosevelt spoke of the "forgotten man," Bill Clinton of the "forgotten middle class." Now the Democratic Party of Senator John Kerry is reaching for that long - and politically successful - legacy with a promise to ease the "middle-class squeeze" and restore the booming economy of the Clinton years.

To that end, the Democratic National Convention on Monday night offered a simple message about the economy: It was better under the Democrats. The middle class had a brighter future. And Mr. Kerry has a plan to restore middle-class prosperity - to stem the loss of jobs overseas, to ease the burden of rising health, education and energy costs on families, to get the nation's fiscal house and economy in order.

Indeed, it was Bill Clinton himself who stood before a national television audience on Monday night and made the case, as he did so often in 1992, that the economic future need not be feared - and that the Democrats offered a better choice when it came to tax and budget policy. He scoffed at the Republicans' decision to give big tax cuts to wealthy Americans like himself while, he asserted, shortchanging critical national needs like education. He criticized the Republicans for turning a huge surplus into a deficit.

Again and again, he said voters faced a choice. If they liked the status quo, he said, stick with the Republicans. If not, he said,"take a look at John Kerry, John Edwards and the Democrats - we've got a very different economic policy.''

"Our way works better,'' Clinton said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/27/politics...7assess.html?hp

[DudeAsInCool]

Ted Kennedy spoke of the patriotic ideals of his revolutionary Boston forebearers--freedom and justice for all--and how America needs to return to these ideals today with the election and leadership of Kerry & Edwards. Unlike the previous night, Kennedy went after Bush-Cheney for 'a misguided war in Iraq", for weakening our worldwide allegiances, and not living up to our constitutional promises of justice for all. In particular, he focused on domestic issues of health care and and an economy that benefits everyone.

Here is what MSNBC.com said about his speech:

Kennedy gave the delegates what they wanted, especially on the war. He denounced Bush and his administration as “false patriots” who sought to “bully dissenters into silence and submission.” “More than 900 of our servicemen and women have already paid the ultimate price. Nearly 6,000 have been wounded in this misguided war,” he said. “The administration has alienated longtime allies. Instead of making America more secure, they have made us less so. They have made it harder to win the real war on terrorism, the war against al-Qaida.”

“None of this had to happen,” Kennedy said, asking: “How could any president have possibly squandered the enormous goodwill that flowed to America from across the world after September 11th?”

[DudeAsInCool]

Surprisingly, Howard Dean got the most rousing ovation of everyone so far. Here is what MSNBC.com said:

Dean: Restore Democrats’ pride

Dean, whose insurgent campaign ignited a wave of anti-Bush fervor in the party, urged Democrats not to be “afraid to stand up for what we believe,” promising that “we’re not going to let those who disagree with us shout us down under a banner of false patriotism.”

Dean accused Bush of turning his back on the stretched U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying he wanted “a commander-in-chief who supports our soldiers and our veterans, instead of cutting their hardship pay when they’re abroad and their health benefits when they get home.

[DudeAsInCool]

43 year old Barack Obama gave the best speech of the convention by far, going beyond the Democratic base, and appealing to all Americans and not the divided America that George Bush has created:

Obama offers Democrats ‘a brighter day’

Senate candidate tells personal story of American dream

NBC, MSNBC and news services

Updated: 10:01 p.m. ET July 27, 2004

BOSTON - Democrats welcomed a new star on their national stage Tuesday night as Barack Obama, a previously obscure state senator, offered his own life as an example of uniquely American possibilities and promised that “a brighter day will come.”

Obama, the Democrats’ nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat from Illinois, was tapped to deliver the keynote address at the party’s national convention, responsible for putting a positive, friendly face of diversity on a national campaign that has been marked by bitter divisions.

In contrast to Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and failed presidential candidate Howard Dean, who attacked President Bush in blisteringly partisan terms, Obama hewed to party leaders’ instructions to highlight Sen. John Kerry’s qualifications. While he criticized many of Bush’s policies, he never once mentioned the president by name.

Obama’s father was a goat herder in Africa who won a scholarship to study in America. He described his mother’s youth in Kansas, raised by a couple who built a good life with educations they obtained through the GI Bill and a home they got with a federal loan.

“They sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all,” said Obama, 42, a lawyer who was the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review.

From rising health care costs to jobs going overseas to civil liberties being threatened, Obama said, Kerry has the values and record to offer help people deserve. And in a jab at Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq, he said Kerry had the judgment to lead America to war only when absolutely necessary.

“When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going,” Obama said.

“We have real enemies in the world,” he said. “They must be pursued — and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.”

Kennedy, Dean take off the gloves

It was a stark contrast between the addresses of Obama and later of Kerry’s wife and those of the Democrats’ liberal lions, Edward Kennedy and Howard Dean, who issued full-throated roars against Bush.

With the national television networks skipping Tuesday night’s convention program entirely, Kennedy and Dean were free to express the frustrations of many Democrats without running much danger of turning off undecided potential voters. They accused the president of cynically dividing the country and abandoning U.S. troops overseas.

In many respects, the program was a tribute to Kennedy, Kerry’s Senate colleague from Massachusetts, as the Democrats held their first convention in his hometown. He was named honorary chairman of the convention, and he was allotted 30 minutes of prime time Tuesday night; by contrast, Dean, the former governor of Vermont who was Kerry’s strongest primary season challenger, was given only 10 minutes.

‘Shameful view’

Kennedy gave the delegates what they wanted, especially on the war. He denounced Bush and his administration as “false patriots” who sought to “bully dissenters into silence and submission.”

“More than 900 of our servicemen and women have already paid the ultimate price. Nearly 6,000 have been wounded in this misguided war,” he said. “The administration has alienated longtime allies. Instead of making America more secure, they have made us less so. They have made it harder to win the real war on terrorism, the war against al-Qaida.”

“None of this had to happen,” Kennedy said, asking: “How could any president have possibly squandered the enormous goodwill that flowed to America from across the world after September 11th?”

“If each of us cared about the public interest, we wouldn’t have the excesses of Enron. We wouldn’t have the abuses of Halliburton. And Vice President Cheney would be retired to an undisclosed location,” he said. “Soon, thanks to John Kerry and John Edwards, he’ll have ample time to do just that.”

Dean: Restore Democrats’ pride

Dean, whose insurgent campaign ignited a wave of anti-Bush fervor in the party, urged Democrats not to be “afraid to stand up for what we believe,” promising that “we’re not going to let those who disagree with us shout us down under a banner of false patriotism.”

“Never again will we be ashamed to call ourselves Democrats. Never. Never. Never,” former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean told delegates.

“Never again will we be ashamed to call ourselves Democrats. Never. Never. Never,” he said. “We’re not just going to change presidents — we’re going to change this country and reclaim the American dream.”

Dean accused Bush of turning his back on the stretched U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying he wanted “a commander-in-chief who supports our soldiers and our veterans, instead of cutting their hardship pay when they’re abroad and their health benefits when they get home.”

“I may not be the nominee, but I can tell you this: For the next hundred days, I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure that John Kerry and John Edwards take our country back for the people who built it,” he promised. “Because tonight, we’re all here to represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5344731/

[DudeAsInCool]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE JULY 27, 2004 16:33:25 ET XXXXX

'Our America' Teresa Heinz Kerry

Excerpts of Remarks to the Democratic National Convention

I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how precious freedom is. It is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and by those who have died defending it.

Tonight I want to remember my mother's warmth, generosity, wisdom, and hopefulness, and thank her for all the sacrifices she made on our behalf -- like so many other mothers.

This evening, I want to acknowledge and honor the women of this world, whose wise voices for much too long have been excluded and discounted.

It is time for the world to hear women's voices -- in full and at last.

John believes in a bright future.

He believes we can, and will, invent the technologies, new materials and conservation methods of the future. He believes that alternative fuels will guarantee that not only will no American boy or girl go to war because of our dependency on foreign oil. But also that our economic security will forever become independent of this need.

We can, and we will, create good, competitive, and sustainable jobs while still protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the health of our children, because good environmental policy is good economics.

John believes that we can, and we will, give every family and every child access to affordable health care, a good education, and the tools to become self-reliant.

John Kerry believes we must, and we should, recognize the immense value of the caregivers in our country - those women and men who nurture and care for children, for elderly parents, for family members in need. These are the people who build and support our most valuable assets--our families.

Isn't it time we began working to give parents more opportunity to be with their children and to afford to have a family life?

With John Kerry as President, we can, and we will, protect our nation's security without sacrificing our civil liberties.

In short, John believes we can, and we must, lead in the world as America, unique among nations, always should-by showing the face, not of our fears, but of our hopes.

John is a fighter.

He earned his medals the old-fashioned way, by putting his life on the line for his country.

No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will-and he will always be first in the line of fire.

But he also knows the importance of getting it right.

For him, the names of too many friends inscribed in the cold stone of the Vietnam Memorial testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake stubbornness for strength.

That is why, as President, my husband will not fear disagreement or dissent.

He believes that our voices - yours and mine - must be the voices of freedom.

And if we do not speak, neither does she.

In America, the true patriots are those who dare speak truth to power.

The truth we must speak now is that America has responsibilities that it is time for us to accept again.

With John Kerry as President, global climate change and other threats to the health of our planet will begin to be reversed.

With John Kerry as President, the alliances that bind the community of nations and that truly make our country and the world a safer place, will be strengthened once more.

[DudeAsInCool]

I forget to mention Ron Reagan Jr's speech last night on Stem Cell Research, something which the Bush administration opposes. Here is an overview from MSNBC.com:

Reagan, who is a commentator for MSNBC, made an unusual appearance that he stressed “should not, must not, have anything to do with partisanship.”

“I am here tonight to talk about the issue of research into what may be the greatest medical breakthrough in our or in any lifetime: the use of embryonic stem cells,” Reagan said.

Reagan called for greater support for stem-cell research, which the Bush administration has sharply restricted. He argued that expanded research could help find a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, which slowly killed his father.

Reagan — acknowledging that “a few of you may be surprised to see someone with my last name showing up to speak at a Democratic convention” — told delegates that such research could yield promising treatments that could “cure a wide range of fatal and debilitating illnesses: Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lymphoma, spinal cord injuries and much more.”

****

[cjules13]

I watched my guy Obama last night and I was really impressed. I've been following that guy a little well, cuz I live in Illinois, and the interesting battle between him and Jack Ryan for Senate had some obvious good drama. But anyway, this guy really is a rising star and from what I've heard so far, I'd stand behind him all the way.

Thumbs way up on the speech...

[DudeAsInCool]

Wednesday Night appears to be military night, a continuous theme here, reminding everyone of John Kerry's military record. Here is how it's starting to shape up:

The carefully scripted nominating convention was devoting much of today's events to national security issues. Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and one of the dozen generals and admirals to back Mr. Kerry, is to speak tonight. So, too, is Mr. Kerry's running mate, Senator John Edwards.

[Shawn]

Al Sharpton is a marvel. I'd vote for that guy any day of the week. I'd campaign for him, I'd donate.

His speech tonight should serve as an example of fine speaking. I felt the emotion of his speech, and I'm far from the border.

[DudeAsInCool]

I agree. He gave a rousing speech that brought the house down. Interestingly enough, the anchors at MSNBC said it would alienate the marginal 10 percent who are critical to the election - I disagree.

[Kooperman]

Al Sharpton cannot be denied by the media any longer. The torch for minority advocate has been passed from Jesse Jackson, whose plodding and lifeless speech was one of the worst of his career, to Sharpton, who has the energy and drive that Jackson once had. Sharpton's albatross is that his emergence into national prominence was based on a fraudulent case in New York. The media, such as Chris Matthews tonight, will paint him with the tar and feathers from that case forever.

Here's a view of Sharpton's career, including the incident I mentioned:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?p...8¬Found=true

[Kooperman]

Well, even the dour Chris Matthews described John Edwards' speech with one word....BINGO!

[DudeAsInCool]

:good job:

[DudeAsInCool]

Edwards, Hailing Kerry, Says 'Hope Is on the Way'

By ROBIN TONER and KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Published: July 29, 2004

OSTON, July 28 - Senator John Edwards, summoning all his skills as a trial lawyer and a populist, made an impassioned case for Senator John Kerry on Wednesday, hailing him as a battle-tested veteran ready to be commander in chief and a man who could restore economic hope and opportunity.

"Hope is on the way," Mr. Edwards declared to a cheering Democratic National Convention.

The heart of Mr. Edwards's speech was the theme he sounded throughout his primary campaign, that "we still live in a country where there are two different Americas," one for people who "are set for life," the other for "most Americans who live from paycheck to paycheck." He proudly recounted his own rise as the son of a millworker, paying tribute to his emotional parents in the convention hall, and made the case for a return to Democratic economic and domestic policies to "build one America."

But Mr. Edwards, who will officially become the Democratic nominee for vice president on Thursday, also tried to make a simple but politically crucial point: that Mr. Kerry, criticized by Republicans as too risky and untested to be a wartime president, is made of sterner stuff, with strong values that he demonstrated even as a young Swift boat commander in Vietnam. [Man in the News, Page P8.]

After Mr. Edwards spoke, the convention delegates proceeded through the traditional roll call of states to nominate Mr. Kerry, each state officially delivering its votes even though the nominee has been known for months. Delegates in Ohio, an important swing state, got the honor of putting Mr. Kerry over the top, with the declaration that the nominee would, in an echo of President Bill Clinton's phrase, serve "the middle-class Ohioans that get up every day, work hard and play by the rules."

In a soaring tribute, Mr. Edwards said that Mr. Kerry's crewmates 35 years ago "saw up close what he's made of." He added: "They saw him reach down and pull one of his men to safety and save his life. They saw him in the heat of battle; they saw him decide in an instant to turn his boat around, drive it straight through an enemy position and chase down the enemy to save his crew.

"Decisive. Strong. Is this not what we need in a commander in chief?"

Rarely was the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war with Iraq more apparent on American politics, as Democrats rolled out a series of testimonials from leaders in the military establishment, comrades of Mr. Kerry from Vietnam and a chorus of elected officials. The testimony was aimed at what many consider Mr. Kerry's principal vulnerability in his fiercely competitive race with President Bush: that voters still tend to trust Mr. Bush more to keep them safe, according to polls.

Mr. Edwards assured the nation that a Kerry administration would pursue terrorists.

"You cannot run," Mr. Edwards said of terrorists. "You cannot hide. We will destroy you."

Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, now retired, and one of a dozen retired top military officials who have endorsed Mr. Kerry, declared, "I stand here as an old soldier and a new Democrat." The general said that he believed in Mr. Kerry, and particularly believed that "no one will be more resolute in defending America nor in pursuing terrorists than John Kerry."

In one of the evening's several implicit references to Mr. Bush's lack of combat experience, General Shalikashvili said of Mr. Kerry, "He knows from experience a commander's responsibility to his troops." When he finished, most of Mr. Kerry's leading military supporters appeared on stage in a striking tableau.

Mr. Edwards's speech, while focused in part on Mr. Kerry, was also an effort to introduce himself to the American public after a meteoric six-year political rise: from successful trial lawyer to senator to one of his party's stars. He returned to the sunny populism of his unsuccessful primary campaign, even while accusing the Republicans of "doing all they can to take this campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road."

He implored voters to reject what he called the "tired, old, hateful, negative politics of the past" and instead embrace the hope that he and Mr. Kerry offered. Again and again, he returned to the refrain "hope is on the way." And the Democratic delegates, who revel in economic populism as part of their party's proudest traditions, chanted along.

More:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/29/politics...n.final.html?hp

[DudeAsInCool]

Gen Wesley Clarke delivered a rousing speech supporting John Kerry, suggesting he had both the experience and integrity to restore unity in this country and with the rest of the world. Pundits felt that this speech spoke to Middle America like no other.

[Kooperman]

And in a performance that was almost surrealistic, Chris Matthews just interviewed

Al Sharpton, whom he roundly criticized last night for giving the most rousing speech of the convention. Actually the term interview is incorrect....Matthews just ambushed Sharpton with the finesse of a Doberman Pincer. The foundation of Matthews' argument is justifiable, but the fervor and frenzy with which he attacked indicates a personal bias that is inappropriate.

[DudeAsInCool]

I certainly agree, Koop, and it appears that Matthews may be off base on his thesis argument. More to the pt, even if he is right, what does that have to do with now? It makes you wonder what Matthew's beef with Sharpton is really about...

[DudeAsInCool]

Kerry's daughters were quite eloquent and delivered strong personal stories about their father's dedication to them and to this country. The bio film and lineup of veterans and Max Cleeland were quite impressive - they did a good portray of Kerry and showed that he is a man who walks his talk.

[Shawn]

Kerry, though less than inspiring in mood, is saying all of the right things.

[Kooperman]

I thought Kerry's speech was a fine one. He let people know who John Kerry was, and what he stood for. He came across as a leader, and he came across as a candidate who won't forget that this country deserves a helluva lot more honesty than we're getting. He had a list of what he plans to do, and now the job is to prove that he can actually do most of it, especially with an antagonistic House and Senate trying to undermine him.

Kerry caught media flak for rushing the long speech, stepping on applause lines rather than basking in long applause breaks. I take that as a positive, showing he's secure enough in himself that he doesn't need the vanity of wave after wave of applause, and that he knows the meaning of the words is more important than stylistically delivering them. It actually seemed more forceful to me delivered as it was.

[DudeAsInCool]

Kerry's speech was a homerun.

***

Kerry's Acceptance: 'We Have It in Our Power to Change the World Again'

Published: July 29, 2004

ollowing is Senator John Kerry's speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination last night in Boston, as recorded by The New York Times:

I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty.

We are here tonight because we love our country. We're proud of what America is and what it can become.

My fellow Americans, we're here tonight united in one purpose: to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.

A great American novelist wrote that you can't go home again. He could not have imagined this evening. Tonight, I am home. Home where my public life began and those who made it possible live. Home where our nation's history was written in blood, idealism and hope. Home where my parents showed me the values of family, faith and country. Thank you. Thank you, all of you, for a welcome home I will never forget.

I wish my parents could share this moment. They went to their rest in the last few years. But their example, their inspiration, their gift of open eyes, and open mind, and endless heart, and world that doesn't have an end are bigger and more lasting than any words.

I was born, as some of you saw in the film, in Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in Colorado, when my dad was a pilot in World War II. Now, I'm not one to read into things, but guess which wing of the hospital the maternity ward was in? I'm not kidding. I was born in the West Wing.

My mother was the rock of our family as so many mothers are. She stayed up late to help me with my homework. She sat by my bed when I was sick. She answered the questions of a child who, like all children, found the world full of wonders and mysteries.

She was my den mother when I was a Cub Scout and she was so proud of her 50-year pin as a Girl Scout leader. She gave me her passion for the environment. She taught me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature. And by the power of her example, she showed me that we can and must complete the march towards full equality for all women in the United States of America.

My dad did the things that a boy remembers. He gave me my first model airplane, my first baseball mitt, my first bicycle. He also taught me that we are here for something bigger than ourselves. He lived out the responsibilities and sacrifices of the greatest generation to whom we owe so much.

And when I was a young man, he was in the State Department, stationed in Berlin when it and the world were divided between democracy and communism. I have unforgettable memories of being a kid mesmerized by the British, French and American troops, each of them guarding their own part of the city - and Russians standing guard on that stark line separating East from West. On one occasion, I rode my bike into Soviet East Berlin. And when I proudly told my dad, he promptly grounded me.

But what I learned has stayed with me for a lifetime. I saw how different life was on different sides of the same city. I saw the fear in the eyes of people who were not free. I saw the gratitude of people towards the United States for all that we had done. I felt goose bumps as I got off a military train and I heard the Army band strike up "Stars and Stripes Forever." I learned what it meant to be America at our best. I learned the pride of our freedom. And I am determined now to restore that pride to all who look to America.

Mine were "greatest generation" parents. And as I thank them, we all join together to thank a whole generation for making America strong, for winning World War II, winning the cold war, and for the great gift of service which brought America 50 years of peace and prosperity.

My parents inspired me to serve. And when I was in high school, a junior, John Kennedy called my generation to service. It was the beginning of a great journey - a time to march for civil rights, for voting rights, for the environment, for women, for peace. We believed we could change the world. And you know what? We did.

But we're not finished. The journey isn't complete. The march isn't over. The promise isn't perfected. Tonight, we're setting out again. And together, we're going to write the next great chapter of America's story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/29/politics...TEXT-KERRY.html