Kerry reports for duty

Pledging "help is on the way", John Kerry launched his campaign to win the White House with an all-out assault on the policies of President Bush.

In a high-risk strategy, he put the fight against terrorism and America's security at the heart of his campaign, promising: "I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war."

Insisting he would "ask hard questions and demand hard evidence" before taking the US into another war, Mr Kerry criticised the president's policies in Iraq, accusing him of squandering both international support and the lives of American soldiers.

Calling the November poll "the most important election of our lifetime", he added: "We are a nation at war, a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have ever known before. We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to the American taxpayer and reduce the risk to American soldiers."

Saying this was the only way to bring US forces home from Iraq, he claimed: "Here is the reality. That won't happen until we have a president who restores America's respect and leadership, so we don't have to go it alone in the world.

"And we need to rebuild our alliances, so we can get the terrorists before they get us."

Opinion polls show Mr Kerry and Mr Bush neck-and-neck with little more than three months before election day, but also put the Republicans clearly ahead in the minds of voters on the crucial issue of security and terrorism.

Mr Kerry's speech in Boston shows his aides have decided to push issues like the failure to find weapons of mass destruction and the continuing turmoil in post-war Iraq to the front of his campaign.

"Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so," he said. "Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so. And promising mission accomplished doesn't make it so.''

Inevitably, Mr Kerry made numerous references to military experience and his war service in Vietnam, which contrasts with President Bush's brief spell as a pilot in the Texas national guard.

Before his speech, delegates were shown a film of his life story, which included combat footage of Mr Kerry, while several of his crewmates from the time he served on river patrols joined him on stage.

Telling Americans he was "reporting for duty", Mr Kerry portrayed-himself as a hawk when needed, saying: "I defended this country as a young man and I will defend it as president.

"Let there be no mistake - I will never hesitate to use force when it is required. Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response."

As the climax to the week-long Democratic convention, the evening was full of traditional election ballyhoo, with 100,000 red, white and blue balloons and three tons of confetti that fell from the ceiling of the Fleet Center as Mr Kerry received a standing ovation in his home town.

Mr Kerry is regarded as slightly dour and aloof but political observers agreed his speech accepting the Democratic nomination was probably the best of his life.

On domestic issues, he attacked the Republicans for allowing thousands of American jobs to be lost overseas and for their tax cuts, saying they mainly helped the rich.

He also singled out several of the president's advisers, attacking Vice President Dick Cheney for his close links to the energy industry, Attorney General John Ashcroft who has defended imprisoning suspected terrorists without trial at Guantanamo Bay and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.