John Kerry

The Massachusetts senator and Vietnam War veteran 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-Sept. 11 era.

The 60-year-old Kerry capped the four-day gathering in Boston 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. As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House."

The Japan Times Weekly: Aug. 7, 2004
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