Text of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's Address to the Democratic National Convention
FDCH E-Media, Inc.
Thursday, July 29, 2004; 9:14 PM
The following is a transcript of the remarks by Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) to the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston, Mass.
LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Thank you, dear friends. And a special thank you to my friends, the people of the state of Connecticut over there.
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Dear friends, standing before this Democratic National Convention tonight naturally reminds me of that thrilling night four years ago when I had the honor to accept your nomination as vice president of the United States of America...
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... the first Jewish-American ever to be so honored.
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And for that barrier-breaking opportunity, I shall be forever grateful to Al Gore and the members of this great Democratic Party.
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You proved that the American dream was alive and well in 2000. And, incidentally, on Tuesday night, in this hall, Barack Obama proved that the American dream is still alive in the Democratic Party.
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LIEBERMAN: That was a heck of a campaign in 2000, wasn't it? Don't get me started. But this is another campaign and campaigns are always about the future, not the past. And I'm proud to stand before you tonight and say that America's future will be a lot brighter with John Kerry and John Edwards in the White House.
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Let me tell you this, they're not only going to win the popular vote -- as Al Gore and I did -- they're actually going to get to take office and move America forward.
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Dear friends, that was four years ago, and America looks very different today. People are worried about their jobs, about their rising health care bills, about their kids' education, about their retirement, and their environment.
LIEBERMAN: John Kerry and John Edwards have practical, progressive, sensible plans to relieve those worries.
But all of us know that those plans won't mean much unless we can restore the American people's sense of personal security, shattered on September 11th, 2001, when we were brutally attacked by Islamist terrorists who hate us more than they love their own lives; fanatics who are as great a threat to our security and freedom as the Nazis and Communists we defeated in the last century.
Make no mistake: This war, like those earlier conflicts, is a war of values.
Our enemies reject values, our founding faith that every child on earth is endowed by our creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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Dear friends, we have to give the people of this great country their sense of security back again. To do that, we need strong leaders who know when to use American power to destroy these Islamist terrorists. But we also need wise leaders who also know when and how to build bridges with Islamic people throughout the world...
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LIEBERMAN: ... bridges that will be built on the faith that we share in one God, and the dreams we share of a better future for all of God's children.
That's the kind of strong and balanced leadership that we will get when John Kerry and John Edwards are in the White House.
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That's what we have to do to make America secure again.
We also must keep our military strong. We must support our brave troops. They are the new greatest generation. They have liberated Afghanistan and Iraq from murderous tyrannies. They are fighting tonight in both of those nations to defeat terrorists and allow democratic governments to grow there.
John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to finishing that work, to honoring the service of our soldiers, and to supporting them and their families when they come home.
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To make America secure again, we must strengthen our defenses here at home. I am proud that after September 11th it was Democrats who led the way in creating the Department of Homeland Security.
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LIEBERMAN: And I'll tell you this, John Kerry and John Edwards will be there to support and strengthen that department. To make America secure, Americans must be reunited.
And you and I in this campaign can do our part to reunite our country by embracing John Edwards' stirring call last night for a politics of hope, not hatred.
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And to me, that means disagreeing with our opponents, not demonizing them. It means supporting the Kerry/Edwards positive, constructive, affirmative vision for a better future for the American people.
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Take a look at this week's convention. Take a look at yourselves. You have set the standard for what this campaign should be all about. If we keep it up, we're going to win the support of all those we need to send John Kerry and John Edwards to the White House. That means we're going to win the support of all of those Americans, millions of them, yearning to cast a vote not of protest, but of promise.
And John Kerry and John Edwards offer that promise.
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My friends, as president, John Kerry is going to be guided by the legacies of past Democratic presidents who have protected our security and advanced our principles in the world.
LIEBERMAN: Woodrow Wilson's commitment to make the world safe for democracy; FDR's commitment to end isolationism and defeat fascism; Harry Truman's commitment to stop communism with the swords of the military and the plowshares of the Marshall Plan; John F. Kennedy's commitment to a muscular and idealistic internationalism; Jimmy Carter's commitment to protect human rights around the world; and Bill Clinton's commitment to strengthen our alliances everywhere in the world.
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John Kerry is on the right side of this proud history. As president, he will be the heir to this Democratic legacy of leadership and international relations. And he will carry it forward as our next president.
Dear friends, we know that to some generations much is given, and from others, much is asked. Our generation, John Kerry's and mine, has been given much and asked much.
I've known John Kerry for more than four decades now, since we met at college. And I can tell you that throughout his life, he has cared about his community and answered his country's call to duty with patriotism and purpose.
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John Kerry's life has made him ready to be the leader this generation of Americans need to take us forward.
So let us go forward from this convention to give him and our country that great opportunity for a better tomorrow.
Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.
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