Kerry rallies troops as battle with Bush begins

JOHN Kerry, carefully tiptoeing around the question of whether the war in Iraq is right or wrong, argued the case that he is more able than President George W Bush to lead the nation in a time of war.

In a determinedly upbeat speech, Mr Kerry accused Mr Bush of squandering international goodwill, misleading the nation into war, being unable to appreciate the trauma of battle and failing to comprehend the complexities of world events. "As president, I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence," Mr Kerry said in a challenge to Mr Bush's judgment.

Referring to his battlefield experience in Vietnam, Mr Kerry said: "I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president.'

It was a speech that would have made no sense before September 11, 2001.

If Bill Clinton helped Democrats shed their image as tax-and-spenders, Mr Kerry led a brigade on Thursday evening trying to dispel the notion that the party is soft on defence.

A new, muscular Democratic foreign policy was on display all evening, from the parade of Mr Kerry's swift-boat mates behind the podium and his introduction by former Georgia Senator Max Cleland, who lost three limbs in Vietnam, to the defiant words of Bruce Springsteen's No Surrender. "Anyone who tells you that one political party has a monopoly on the best defence of our nation is committing a fraud on the American people," retired General Wesley Clark said an hour before Mr Kerry spoke.

Mr Kerry's evolving position on Iraq has allowed Republicans to accuse him of vacillating and failing to project a steady hand. After voting against the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Mr Kerry praised the US effort to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. And after voting in October 2002 in favour of authorising the use of force in Iraq, Mr Kerry has harshly criticised Mr Bush's failure to negotiate peace.

In his speech, Mr Kerry sought to portray his positions as nuanced, rather than inconsistent, and Mr Bush's position as simplistic, rather than steady.

"Now, I know there are those who criticise me for seeing complexities - and I do - because some issues just aren't all that simple,' Mr Kerry said. "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."

Mr Kerry portrayed himself not as the peace candidate but as the wiser war candidate.

Before he talked about his commitment to jobs, education, health care and other Democratic staples, Mr Kerry touted his national security credentials.

"I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty," he said with a salute as he opened his hour-long address.

"I know what kids go through when they are carrying an M-16 in a dangerous place and they can't tell friend from foe," Mr Kerry said. "As president, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war."

Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, who is rumoured to be a contender for secretary of state if Mr Kerry wins in November, described the party's nominee in almost hawkish terms.

"When John Kerry is commander in chief, he will not hesitate to unleash the unparalleled power of our military on any nation or group that does us harm - without asking anyone's permission," Mr Biden said.

"He is an authentic American hero," Mr Cleland said in an emotional introduction, in which he told the story of how in April 1968, he was being airlifted out of Vietnam clinging to life, as Mr Kerry was on a Navy ship, voluntarily sailing "into the line of fire".

Rolling out his domestic agenda, Mr Kerry promised to provide better health care, build new schools, create high-paying jobs, put more police on the streets, invest in alternate energy sources and repeal Mr Bush's tax cuts on those earning more than $200,000 a year.

Yet he acknowledged from the outset that "the world tonight is very different from the world four years ago."

"In these dangerous days, there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong," Mr Kerry said. "After decades of experience in national security, I know the reach of our power, and I know the power of our ideals."