Kerry tells Democrats 'America can do better'

3.00pm - By JOHN WHITESIDES, Political Correspondent

BOSTON - Saying "America can do better," John Kerry took the reins of the Democratic Party on Thursday with a promise to restore US global leadership and ask "hard questions" before taking the country to war.

"We need to be looked up to and not just feared," the Massachusetts senator said in accepting the Democratic nomination to face President Bush. "In these dangerous days there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong."

In a prime-time, televised address that gave Kerry a national stage to introduce himself and lay out his case for the presidency, he said he would try to bridge America's cultural and economic divides and make the November 2 election "a contest of big ideas."


"It is time to reach for the next dream," Kerry told the Democratic National Convention. "It is time to look to the next horizon."

Kerry vowed he would never hesitate to use force "when it is required," but drew a sharp contrast with Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq based on faulty intelligence about the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

"Saying there are weapons of mass destruction 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," Kerry said.

"As president, I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence. I will immediately reform the intelligence system, so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics."

Directly addressing Bush, he challenged the president to build unity in America, not foster angry division, and join him in being "optimists, not just opponents."

Kerry's speech concluded the four-day convention and kicked off a three-month election battle with Bush, who ceded the spotlight to Democrats all week while vacationing at his ranch in Texas. Polls show the two locked in a dead heat ahead of next month's Republican convention in New York.

With the refrain "America can do better, help is on the way," Kerry promised to improve the quality of life for everyday working Americans. The speech framed many of the issues Kerry and running mate John Edwards will stress in the campaign, including the war in Iraq, the economy, health care and the war on terror.

"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," Kerry said. "Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response."

As president, he said, he would fight a "smarter, more effective war on terror," bolster the military and lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation.

"I will be a commander-in-chief who will never mislead us into war," Kerry said.

ADOPT SEPTEMBER 11 PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS

Kerry renewed his calls for the quick adoption of the recommendations of the panel that studied the September 11, 2001, attacks, which Bush says need to be studied.

"As president I will not evade or equivocate," he said, promising fast action in the war on terror and a strong military that will send the message to terrorists that "you will lose and we will win."

Conventions are often the first time the general public tunes into a presidential race, and polls show many Americans are still unfamiliar with Kerry, a four-term senator, decorated Vietnam War veteran and former prosecutor.

Kerry, who launched into a long autobiography early in his speech, said he understood the pain of war and would not send troops to battle without reason. The best way to bring US troops home from Iraq, he said, was to restore American credibility around the world.

"We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers and reduce the risk to American soldiers," he said.

In accepting the nomination, Kerry also accepted $75 million in public funds to finance his general election campaign. Bush will receive $75 million when he accepts the Republican nomination on Sept. 2, giving him five more weeks to raise and spend money without limits.

The Republicans have tried to fight back against the Democratic rhetoric all week. Vice President Dick Cheney, in a fund-raising email, described Kerry as a leader who would "shift with the political winds -- saying one thing one day and another the next."

Kerry hopes his four days in the spotlight provide a measurable surge in public approval, known as "bounce," which sometimes has given nominees a double-digit boost in the polls.

Republicans have tried to raise expectations for Kerry, predicting a 15-point gain for him after the convention. Democrats say the closely divided electorate and relatively small number of undecided voters made a big bounce unlikely.

- REUTERS