Well, not bad. As a speaker, John Kerry is never going to remind you of Bill Clinton . Or of Barack Obama, for that matter.

So perhaps Kerry was the beneficiary of low expectations when he gave a safe, occasionally inspired, acceptance speech Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention .

There were moments when you had to remind yourself that this was the Democratic nominee for president who was speaking - such as when Kerry promised a larger military force , tax cuts , public school accountability and a focus on family values .

Kerry understands that undecided voters will not necessarily have to love him to cast a ballot for him, but they will have to have faith that they can trust him to lead the country in a time of war .

They will need a sound reason to change their nation's leader at a vulnerable moment. And that while they admire his heroism more than 30 years ago in Vietnam , they may not see in his Senate career the conviction a president needs, especially when his country faces a patient and determined enemy.

So Kerry dwelled on themes of strength and credibility. He was most compelling when he talked about his military service, when he talked about his band of brothers , and when he promised he "will never hesitate to use force when it is required." (right!)

How remarkable, though, that such an assurance - that he would, indeed, defend the nation - was still necessary for Kerry to deliver.

He vowed to "fight a smarter, more effective war on terror." He neglected to mention that the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan have been demolished , Libya has renounced terrorism and agreed to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction , Saddam Hussein has been deposed , and Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of Sept. 11, has been captured - all accomplished under the administration Kerry seeks to depose.

He lamented that wages are falling and people aren't getting ahead, and then proclaimed: "We're the optimists."

An optimist might have noted that the economy has been expanding for more than two years , consumer confidence is growing , the nation has created 1.5 million jobs in less than a year and homeownership is at the highest level on record .

Somehow, none of that optimistic news made the cut in his speech.

Kerry stuck to no-risk issues. No mention of abortion rights. No mention of same-sex marriage. No waves. No new ground. No memorable phrases.

No surprise there; Kerry is a careful and deliberate politician. The test of his address Thursday night will be this. All week at the Democratic convention there was a studied effort to manufacture a sense of excitement about Kerry, who draws little genuine enthusiasm from many Democrats .

If he managed finally to transform his party's stage-managed enthusiasm into something real, he will have succeeded.


-Chigage Tribune, Hector Mata

Just thought that I would include some pictures for the Red Diaper Doper Babies in case they aren't able to read.

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Chrysler Corporation is adding a new car to its line to honor Bill Clinton. The Dodge Draft will begin production in Canada this year.

~W `04~

Thank you for the emoticons - they were extremely helpful.

As an independent, I was impressed with Kerry's speech. Sure, he may be pro-corporation just like Bush, but I have no doubt that he has a clearer, more diplomatic and effective way to deal with the 18,000 new al-Qaeda operatives recruited since the Iraq invasion. He also brought up the idea that sometimes science is a better way than via God to explain and understand ideas and issues. I think that's the bravest thing a politician has said in a while.