Announcer john kerry was a threetime u. S. Senator when he announced his it for the white house. He would win the nomination but lose to president bush he was seeking a second term. Senator kerrys acceptance speech at the 2000 ford convention is just under one hour. [applause] [cheers and applause] [chanting] mr. Kerry thank you. Thank you. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry thank you. Thank you. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry thank you. Thank you. [chanting] mr. Kerry thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you , thank you. Am john kerry and i am reporting for duty. Applause] here we arere we are here tonight because we love our country. We are proud of what america is and what it can become. My fellow americans, were here tonight united in one purpose, to make america stronger at home and respected in the world. [applause] mr. Kerry a Great American novelist wrote that you cant go home again. He could not have imagined this evening. Tonight, i am home [applause] mr. Kerry home where my public life began and those it made it possible to live at home. Home where our nations history was written in blood, idealism, and hope, hope or my parents showed me the values of family, faith, and country. Thank you, all of you, for a welcome home i will never forget. [applause] kerry 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 open eyes and open mind and endless heart and world that doesnt have an end are bigger and more lasting than any words at all. I was born, as some of you saw in the film, in Fitzsimmons Army hospital in colorado [applause]] mr. Kerry wet my dad was a pilot in world war ii. Now, i am not one to read into things, but gets which wing of the hospital the Maternity Ward was in . I am not kidding. I was born in the west wing. [cheers and applause] 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 50year pin as a girl scout leader. Mr. Kerry 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 toward full equality for all women in the United States of america. [applause] mr. Kerry my dad did the things that a boy remembers. 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 the 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. [laughter] [applause] mr. Kerry 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 toward the United States for all that we had done. I felt goosebumps as i got off a military train and 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. [applause] mr. Kerry 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 were not finished. But were not finished. The journey isnt complete; the march isnt over; the promise isnt perfected. Tonight, were setting out again. And together, were going to write the next great chapter of americas story. We have it in our power to change the world, but only if were true to our ideals. And that starts by telling the truth to the American People. [applause] mr. Kerry as president , that is my first pledge to you tonight, as president , i will restore trust and credibility to the white house. [applause] mr. Kerry i ask you, i ask you to judge me by my record. As a young prosecutor, i fought for victims rights and made prosecuting violence against women a priority. [applause] mr. Kerry when i came to the senate, i broke with many in my own party to vote for a balanced budget, because i thought it was the right thing to do. I fought to put 100,000 Police Officers on the streets of america. And then i reached out across the aisle with john mccain to work to find the truth about our pows and missing in action and to finally make peace in vietnam. [applause] mr. Kerry i will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. [applause] mr. Kerry i will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. [applause] mr. Kerry i will have a secretary of defense who will listen to the best advice of the military leaders. And i will appoint an attorney general who will uphold the constitution of the United States. [applause] mr. Kerry my fellow americans, my fellow americans, this is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We are a nation at war, a global war on terror against an enemy unlike weve ever known before. And here at home, wages are falling, healthcare costs are rising, and our great middle class is shrinking. People are working weekends two jobs, three jobs and theyre still not getting ahead. Were told that outsourcing jobs is good for america. Were told that jobs that pay 9,000 less than the jobs that have been lost is the best that we can do. They say this is the best economy that weve ever had. And they say anyone who thinks otherwise is a pessimist. Well, here is our answer, there is nothing more pessimistic than saying that america cant do better. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry we can do better, we can do better, and we will. Were the optimists. For us, this is a country of the future. Were the cando people. And lets not forget what we did in the 1990s. We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty. And we lifted the standard of living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves and we can do it again. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry so, tonight so, tonight so, tonight so, tonight, in the city where americas freedom began, only a few blocks from where the sons and daughters of liberty gave birth to our nation, here tonight, on behalf of a new birth of freedom, on behalf of the middle class who deserve a champion and those struggling to join it who deserve a fair shot, for the brave men and women in uniform who risk their lives and for the families who pray for their return, for all those who believe our best days are ahead of us, with great faith in the American People, i accept your nomination for president of the United States. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry i am proud [cheers and applause] audience kerry kerry kerry mr. Kerry thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. I am proud that at my side will be a runningmate whose life is the story of the American Dream, and whos worked every day to make that dream real for all americans, senator john edwards of North Carolina and his wife elizabeth and their family. Thank you. [cheers and applause] this son of a millworker is ready to lead. And next january, americans will be proud to have a fighter for the middle class to succeed dick cheney as Vice President of the United States. [cheers and applause] and what can i say about teresa . [cheers and applause] she has the strongest moral compass of anyone i know. Shes down to earth, nurturing, courageous, wise, and smart. She speaks her mind, and she speaks the truth, and i love her for that, too. And thats why america will embrace her as the next first lady of the United States. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry for teresa and me, no matter what the future holds or the past has given us, nothing will ever mean as much as our children as you can sense listening to them. We love them, not just for who they are and what theyve become, but for being themselves, making us laugh, holding our feet to the fire, and never letting me get away with anything. [laughter] thank you, andre, alex, chris, vanessa, and john. And in this journey, i am accompanied by an extraordinary band of brothers led by that american hero, a patriot called max cleland. [cheers and applause] our band of brothers our band of brothers doesnt march because of who we are as veterans, but because of what we learned as soldiers. We fought for this nation because we loved it, and we came back with the deep belief that every day is extra. We may be a little older, we may be a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country. [cheers and applause] and standing with us in that fight standing with us in that fight are those who shared with me the long season of the primary campaign, Carol Moseley braun, general wesley clark, howard dean [cheers and applause] dick gephardt, bob graham, dennis kucinich, joe lieberman, al sharpton. To all of you, i say thank you for teaching me and testing me. But mostly, we say thank you for standing up for our country and for giving us the unity to move america forward. [cheers and applause] my fellow americans, the world tonight is very different from the world of four years ago. But i believe the American People are more than equal to the challenge. Remember the hours after september 11, when we came together as one to answer the attack against our homeland. We drew strength when our firefighters ran up stairs and risked their lives so that others might live, when rescuers rushed into smoke and fire at the pentagon, when the men and women of flight 93 sacrificed themselves to save our nations capitol, when flags were hanging from front porches all across america and strangers became friends. It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us. [cheers and applause] i am proud that after september 11 all our people rallied to president bushs call for unity to meet the danger. There were no democrats. There were no republicans. There were only americans. And how we wish it had stayed that way. [cheers and applause] now, i know that there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities and i do because some issues just arent all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in iraq doesnt make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesnt make it so. And proclaiming Mission Accomplished certainly doesnt make it so. [cheers and applause] as president , i will ask the 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. And as president , i will bring back this nations timehonored tradition, the United States of america never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to. That is the standard of our nation. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry i know what kids go through when they are carrying [cheers and applause] i know what kids go through when theyre carrying an m16 in a dangerous place, and they cant tell friend from foe. I know what they go through when theyre out on patrol at night and they dont know whats coming around the next bend. I know what its like to write letters home telling your family that everythings all right, when youre not sure that thats true. As president , i will wage this war with the lessons i learned in war. Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say, i tried Everything Possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harms way, but we had no choice, we had to protect the American People, fundamental American Values against a threat that was real and imminent. [cheers and applause] so, lesson number one, this is the only justification for going to 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. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry i know what we have to do in iraq. I know what we have to do in iraq. 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, reduce the risk to american soldiers. Thats the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home. [cheers and applause] here is the reality, that wont happen until we have a president who restores americas respect and leadership so we dont have to go it alone in the world. And we need to rebuild our alliances so we can get the terrorists before they get us. I defended this country as a young man, and i will defend it as president. [cheers and applause] 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 a certain response. I will never give any nation or any institution a veto over our National Security. And i will build a stronger military. We will add 40,000 active duty troops, not in iraq, but to strengthen American Forces that are now overstretched, overextended, and under pressure. We will double our special forces to conduct terrorist operations, antiterrorist operations, and we will provide our troops with the newest weapons and technology to save their lives and win the battle. And we will end the backdoor draft of the National Guard and reservists. [cheers and applause] to all who serve in our armed forces today, i say help is on the way. [cheers and applause] as president , i will fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. We will deploy every tool in our arsenal, our economic as well as our military might, our principles as well as our firepower. In these dangerous days, there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than tough words. After decades of experience in National Security, i know the reach of our power, and i know the power of our ideals. We need to make america once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to, not just feared. We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation, to keep the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the world. [applause] we need a Strong Military and we need to lead strong alliances. And then, and then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists, you will lose, and we will win. The future doesnt belong to fear, it belongs to freedom. [cheers and applause] and the frontlines and the frontlines of this battle are not just far away. Theyre right here on our shores. Theyre at our airports and potentially in any town or city. Today, our National Security begins with homeland security. The 9 11 commission has given us a path to follow, endorsed by democrats, republicans, and the 9 11 families. As president , i will not evade or equivocate, i will immediately implement all the recommendations of that commission. We shouldnt be letting 95 of our container ships come into our ports without ever being physically inspected. We shouldnt be leaving nuclear and chemical plants without enough protection. And we shouldnt be opening firehouses in baghdad and shutting them in the United States of america. [cheers and applause] tonight tonight 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 our 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. [cheers and applause] you see you see that flag up there. We call her old glory, the stars and stripes forever. I fought under that flag, as did so many of those people who were are here tonight and all across the country. That flag flew from the gun turret right behind my head and it was shot through and through and tattered, but it never ceased to wave in the wind. It draped the caskets of men that i served with and friends i grew up with. For us, that flag is the most powerful symbol of who we are and what we believe in, our strength, our diversity, our love of country, all that makes america both great and good. That flag doesnt belong to any president. It doesnt belong to any ideology. It doesnt belong to any party. It belongs to all the American People. [cheers and applause] mr. Kerry my fellow citizens [audience chanting usa, usa ] mr. Kerry my fellow citizens my fellow citizens, elections are about choices. And choices are about values. In the end, its not just policies and programs that matter. The president who sits at that desk must be guided by pri