A speech I've been waiting to hear from John Kerry

"Kerry Accepts Nomination, Telling Party That He'll 'Restore Trust and Credibility': Invoking His Past, He Vows to Command 'a Nation at War,'" by Adam Nagourney, New York Times, 30 July, p. A1.

"Kerry's Next Big Challenge: Wide Split in Undecided Votes: Suburbanites, Blue-Collars Disagree on Many Issues; Senator Needs Them All; Potential Bridge: War in Iraq," by John Harwood and Jacob M. Schlesinger, Wall Street Journal, 30 July, p. A1.

"The Nominee Seems a Happy Warrior: 'I'm John Kerry,' he says with glee, 'and I'm reporting for duty,'" by Alessandra Stanley, NYT, 30 July, p. P7.

"Kerry's Plan to Reduce Mideast-Oil Dependence Meets Skepticism," by John J. Fialka, WSJ, 30 July, p. A4.

I had never sat through a full Kerry speech before, and probably 99% of the American public hadnít either, so this really was a hugely important ìfirst impressionî for Kerry to make. Having heard so much about how boring he was, I had very low expectations, all of which were summarily surpassed. Overall, I thought it was a very strong speech, one that tells me that Kerry is well-positioned to exploit all of his natural advantages: war record, stronger intellect, andófranklyóa far more impressive physical presence and gravitas that Bush, who still suffers from that frat-boy halo that seems to follow him everywhere he goes.

The speech was appropriately hawkish for the times and for the fears currently being captured in the polls, so Kerry is doing what makes sense: going on the offensive against what is currently perceived as Bushís strengths (handling of terrorism and foreign affairs in general). I think the Dems believe that a campaign that focuses on that alleged strength will work well to their advantage, because that reputation is worn down with each passing day in Iraq. Kerry spoke directly to that dichotomy when he said America shouldnít go to war without a clear plan for winning the peace as well. Yes, a bit of a laundry list in the middle, but some nice soaring rhetoric at the end. I gotta admit, the speech fired me up as a Democrat and made me feel nervous on Bushís behalf. I think Kerryís going to be a very strong candidate when it comes to fighting over that 1-in-5 voters who are still undecided.

Most of all, I liked how psyched Kerry himself seemed to be. The guy really did seem to be happy being up there, and if he can display that sort of ease and comfort with the challenge of being president, it goes a long way toward convincing people that heís up for the job. In contrast, Bush has throughout his time seemed alternatively ill-at-ease, too casual, or too wound up. Kerryís speech showed him to be someone with a real center of gravity; he looked quite comfortable in his own skinóBotoxíd or not.

The only part of the speech that disappointed me was the reflexive linking of new transportation technologies with not having to care/wage war in the Middle East. I think thatís a very deceptive sort of sales job that targets our worst instincts. Kerry brayed confidently about changing the world, and if he means that, it has to include a future worth creating not just for America but for the Middle East as well.