Kerry vows to restore credibility to US

In his acceptance speech, Kerry pledged to restore "trust and credibility" to the White House and repair alliances rent by Iraq war.

John Kerry accepted the Democratic nomination for president late Thursday, pledging to restore "trust and credibility" to the White House and repair global alliances rent by the Iraq war.

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But in a speech to the party's national convention here, Kerry served notice that if he defeats President George W. Bush in November he will not flinch from going into battle alone if necessary to protect the country.

The Massachusetts senator and Vietnam war hero made it clear from the outset that his main goal was to boost his credentials as a tough leader able to steer the United States through the turbulent post-September 11 era.

"I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty," he said with a crisp salute as he walked to the podium of the Fleet Center sports arena here to the thunderous cheers of 20,000 Democratic delegates and guests.

The 60-year-old Kerry capped the four-day gathering with a sharp indictment of the Republican administration as a rich man's club that flouted civil rights and bent military intelligence to its political ends.

"I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws," Kerry said.

"And I will appoint an attorney general who actually upholds the constitution of the United States," he said. "As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House."

Kerry kept his focus largely on security issues after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, pledging to beef up the US military to counter Republican charges he was weak and waffling on defense.

"Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required," said Kerry, adding that he would take the country into war only to meet a "real and imminent" threat.

The Democrat vowed to win back allies for the fight against terrorism, but said he was ready for unilateral action if needed: "I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security."

Security has become a major issue in the November 2 election, with polls showing voters considering Bush a stronger and more decisive leader than Kerry.

Making a frontal assault on Bush's contention he was running as a "war president," Kerry said, "In these dangerous days there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong."

Promising to add 40,000 new troops to the overstretched US military, Kerry said force alone was not enough. "We need to make America once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to and not just feared."

Kerry also chided Bush on homeland security, saying he would not "evade or equivocate" on the issue and immediately implement the recommendations of a national panel that probed the September 11 disaster.

"I will immediately reform the intelligence system so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics," he said, in an allusion to reports of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that were never found.

On the domestic front, Kerry lambasted Bush over the loss of US jobs, rising health-care costs and lagging educational opportunies for many people. "America can do better. So tonight we say: help is on the way," he said.

Kerry, who peppered his speech with a host of details about his upbringing, took the podium at the Fleet Center sports arena after the delegates heard a series of testimonials from war buddies and family.

They also watched a nine-minute film extolling Kerry's life and military service, which credited Steven Spielberg as an adviser, was narrated by actor Morgan Freeman and directed by Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker James Moll.

The Democrats appeared ignited by the climax to their party fest and gave Kerry sustained whoops and applause as he paraded around the podium with his running-mate, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, under a cascade of balloons.

The most crucial address of Kerry's political life set the stage for a bruising three-month election showdown with Bush which shows every sign of being as close as the cliffhanger in 2000.

For the first time since the Cold War, opinion surveys show foreign policy is a vital issue for nearly half of US voters, and Democrats have used the spotlight this week to paint Bush as a misguided, dangerous world leader.

Party conventions traditionally provide a boost in the polls for their candidates, and Kerry will seek to keep the momentum rolling by launching a gruelling 21-state, cross-country tour the morning after his speech.

But Friday will also mark return in force of the Republican re-election machine after a week in which Bush retired to his Texas ranch to leave the national spotlight to the Democrats.

Bent on minimising any advantage reaped by Kerry from the Boston event, Bush plans a punishing 48-hour campaign swing through the key battleground states of Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.