Kerry highlights

My greatest fear when Kerry began to pull away in the primaries was that his campaign style and origins in Massachusetts would result in a "Dukakis on stilts" campaign. Am I glad that I was wrong! He hit GOoPers hard and where it hurts, but in a classy way that looks past the GOP mess to a brighter future -- both a democratic future and a Democratic future -- and a better America.

Here are my favorite highlights:

John Kerry's remarks at the Democratic convention

"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 are here tonight united in one simple purpose: to make America stronger at home and respected in the world....

As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House.... I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a secretary of Defense who will listen to the advice of our military leaders. And I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States....

I am proud that after Sept. 11 all our people rallied to President Bush's call for unity to meet the danger. There were no Democrats. There were no Republicans. There were only Americans. How we wish it had stayed that way.

Now I know there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities and I do because some issues just aren't all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so. And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn't make it so....

As President, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war.... And on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace....

I defended this country as a young man and I will defend it as President. Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required. Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response. I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security. And I will build a stronger American military.... And we will end the backdoor draft of National Guard and reservists. To all who serve in our armed forces today, I say, help is on the way....

And tonight, we have an important message for those who question the patriotism of Americans who offer a better direction for our country. Before wrapping themselves in the flag and shutting their eyes to the truth and their ears, they should remember what America is really all about. They should remember the great idea of freedom for which so many have given their lives. Our purpose now is to reclaim democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism. You see that flag up there. We call her Old Glory. The stars and stripes forever. I fought under that flag.... That flag doesn't belong to any president. It doesn't belong to any ideology and it doesn't belong to any party. It belongs to all the American people....

For four years, we've heard a lot of talk about values. But values spoken without actions taken are just slogans. Values are not just words. Values are what we live by. They're about the causes we champion and the people we fight for. And it is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families. You don't value families by kicking kids out of after-school programs and taking cops off our streets, so that Enron can get another tax break....

I want an America that relies on its ingenuity and innovation, not the Saudi royal family....

And let me say it plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don't wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday. I don't want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God's side. And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others and for our country.

These aren't Democratic values. These aren't Republican values. They're American values. We believe in them. They're who we are. And if we honor them, if we believe in ourselves, we can build an America that's stronger at home and respected in the world...."