US: On John Edwards: He brings a compelling voice to our party - great eloquence to the cause of working men and women - and great promise for leadership for the years to come.
For months, John Edwards has been our competitor. But first of all and always ... he is a valiant champion of the values for which our party stands.
Let me also congratulate Howard Dean. Today, we are reminded again of the unprecedented contribution he has made to this party and this country by bringing so many into the political process.
On the campaign ahead: Tonight the message could not be clearer all across our country: Change is coming to America.
Before us stretch long months of effort and challenge. We have no illusions about the Republican attack machine and what our opponents will try to do.
But I know we are equal to the task. I'm a fighter. For more than 30 years, I've been on the frontlines of the battle for fairness and mainstream American values.
On rolling back the Bush agenda: There are powerful forces that want America to continue on its present path. And there are also millions of Americans hurt by policies that favour the few, who doubt whether government once again can work for them. Millions more live in fear everyday that they will lose their job, or lose their healthcare or lose their pensions.
My campaign is about replacing doubt with hope, and replacing fear with security. Together we will build a strong foundation for growth by repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to cut the deficit in half in four years and invest in health care and education.
We will repeal every tax break and every loophole that rewards any corporation for gaming the tax code to go overseas and avoid their responsibilities to America. We will provide new incentives for manufacturing that reward good companies for creating and keeping good jobs here at home.
On international relations: We will rejoin the community of nations and renew our alliances because that is essential to final victory in the war on terror.
The Bush Administration has run the most arrogant, inept, reckless and ideological foreign policy in modern history. This President wants to run on national security. Well, if George Bush wants to make national security the central issue in 2004, I have three simple words for him I know he understands: Bring it on.
This campaign is about the big issues and great challenges that we face as a nation. But our opponents can't campaign on jobs or health care or fiscal responsibility.
Instead, George Bush, who promised to be a unifier, has become the great divider. Just last week, he proposed to amend the Constitution for political purposes. He has no right to misuse the most precious document in our history in an effort to divide this nation and distract us from his failures.
We reject the politics of fear and distortion. And we will keep trust with Lincoln's ideal of America as "the last best hope of earth".
When I first led veterans to the Mall here in Washington to stop the Vietnam War, it was a time of doubt and fear in this land. It was a time when millions of Americans could not trust or believe what their leaders were telling them.
Now, today, many Americans are once again wondering if they can trust and believe the leadership of our country. My campaign is about restoring that faith, about speaking plainly and honestly to the American people. About leading America in a new direction, guided by the enduring values that this nation has held to for the last 200 years.
The full text is available on www.johnkerry.com. President Bush's re-election website is www.georgewbush.com.