We gather here today at an extraordinary moment in our nation's history, facing threats to our security from terrorists in our midst, on the verge of a possible war in Iraq, watching North Korea on the verge of building a nuclear arsenal that could threaten the continental United States.

        Here in America, our people are frightened by security alerts the color of orange, and burdened by budgets the color of red, a sluggish economy, rising unemployment, falling markets, rising crime, and millions of Americans dropping out of the middle class into poverty.

        The response of the Administration of George W. Bush to our economic problems? "More tax cuts." The response to our security concerns? "Don't worry. Be afraid." The response to an unsettled, increasingly dangerous world? "We'll go it alone."

        We were promised a better America.

        Has George Bush delivered?

        We were promised a new tone in Washington.

        Has George Bush delivered?

        We were promised a better economy.

        Has George Bush delivered?

        Little wonder that the American people say our country is on the wrong track.  The national deficit, back again with a vengeance, seems a metaphor for a depleted national spirit, at risk of losing its greatest source of energy, the American Dream.

        I consider myself blessed to be an American.  I believe in the American Dream, the promise of freedom and opportunity that drew my grandparents here from overseas, enabled my parents to work their way into the middle class and made possible the extraordinary opportunities I have had.

        The inspiration for my life in public service was John F. Kennedy, and if I may paraphrase that great President, I seek the office he once held not because it is easy, but because it is hard.  We do the hard things in life not for the challenge alone, but for the good that can result.

        And that is why I am determined to make the blessings of liberty real for every American, indeed for every person throughout the world. I owe it to my parents and grandparents, to my children and grandchildren, to my party and to my country to use the experience and skills I have to work as hard as I can to restore the full measure of the American Dream in every heart and household in this great nation and to rebuild America's reputation as a beacon of freedom and friendship among the nations of the world.

        Our American Dreams can never be real if our security as a nation is not assured. The job of protecting people from harm has always been a paramount responsibility for our Commanders in Chief.  No one will be elected in November, 2004 if she or he does not convince the voters they will keep America's families safe.

        As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have been a consistent advocate for a strong military and support of our troops. I was among the first to call for a new Department of Homeland Security, and I believe we must fully fund its crucial work.

        As President, I will make sure that America is strong AND right, with more allies for freedom and democracy and fewer opportunities for our enemies to do us harm.

        And in this campaign, I will show that President Bush has failed to articulate a vision for a 21st century foreign policy that can truly protect our national security and advance our values in the world.

        I will show how, by pulling out of the Kyoto global warming treaty, arms control agreements and other international pacts, George Bush has isolated us from most of the rest of the world and weakened alliances that we need more than ever as we mount a global campaign against terrorists.

        Now, it has been my view for twelve years that Saddam Hussein must be removed from power if we are to have a more peaceful world and a more secure America.

        I know that some in our party and nation and many around the world are against the use of force in Iraq.  But the history of the last century teaches us the consequences of unchecked power and unconventional weapons in the hands of an inhumane tyrant.  That history moved me to support the use of force in 1991 to turn back Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, and a few years later in Bosnia and Kosovo to stop genocide.

        Now to protect the safety of the American people and the credibility of the United Nations, Iraq must disarm, peacefully if possible, by force if necessary.  Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction must be destroyed sooner rather than later; because sooner or later, if we do not they will be used against us.

        We cannot be strong in the world, however, if we are not strong at home. And George W. Bush has pursued domestic policies that have left us weaker at home. He's squandered the Clinton-Gore prosperity and given us the Bush recession. He's disarmed us on the front lines security by cutting back the COPS program and refusing to fund first responders at a time that crime is rising and the threat of terrorism is great. His economic policies have driven millions into poverty and received a resounding vote of no confidence from a collapsed stock market.
        It's almost as if he's declared a war on work - he insists on the double taxation of workers payrolls as he seeks to cut the taxation of dividends.

        It doesn't have to be that way. Remember the record of the Clinton-Gore Administration. More than 22 million new jobs, incomes going up, markets reaching record highs, falling crime rates, rising home ownership, and millions moving from welfare to work.

        We need a President who will send George Bush back to Crawford, and put our country back on the right track to prosperity and peace.

        The American Dream will never be fully realized without a growing economy, and that will be the driving purpose of my presidency: to rebuild our prosperity, to restore fiscal responsibility and to grow our middle class.

        In this campaign, as in the spirit of the Clinton-Gore campaign of 1992, I will recapture the mainstream of American politics and offer new ideas to solve our most difficult problems.

        To spur job growth, I propose a payroll tax credit to encourage companies to create jobs this year and a zero capital gains rate for long term investments in entrepreneurial firms.

        To protect our homeland, a Frontline Initiative to get first responders – firefighters and police – the funding, training and information they need so that our cities will not be forced to furlough them at this critical time, and a National Homeland Security Academy to produce a new generation of leaders on domestic defense.

        Along with a secure nation and economic opportunity, the American Dream thrives in an environment where faith and values are respected and upheld and where people are honored for playing by the rules.

        As President, I will dedicate myself to making sure that our most enduring principles are advanced in our public policies and in the public square.
        That is not simply a campaign promise; it has been a part of my life, from the time I marched on the Mall here in Washington to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, to my work as a public servant, taking on deadbeat dads who owed child support and corporations who despoil the environment, or market sex and violence to our children.

        To renew the American Dream also requires that we rise above partisan politics and put our country first. That is something George Bush promised, when he said he would come to Washington to "change the tone." He has all right - he's made it more bitter, and more polarized - by pursuing extremist policies that have divided us, not united us.

        We must put our country first and heal the racial divide, not reopen old wounds, and we must give a new generation of immigrants their fair chance to live the American Dream.

        We must put our country first and restore independence to the White House, not compromise our economic, environmental, or health security for political contributors or extreme ideologies.

        We must put our country first and stand up for our values here at home, because family, responsibility and faith matter more than power, partisanship, and privilege

        As I said when I announced my candidacy at my high school in Stamford, Connecticut, am running for President to fight for what's right for the American people.

        And that is exactly what I will do. Whether or not you agree with a particular position I take, I hope you will always agree that I am doing what I sincerely believe is right for our country.

        Standing here as a candidate for President takes me back to my first experience with the DNC, as an intern to former Chairman John Bailey back in 1964. I had the honor of attending the convention in Atlantic City that year, and hearing my hero, Robert F. Kennedy, give that stirring speech in tribute to his late brother.

        That was also the convention of the Mississippi credentials fight. A year earlier, I had gone to Mississippi to fight for the right of African Americans to vote.

        In Atlantic City, testifying before the Credentials Committee, Fannie Lou Hamer moved the nation and moved our party closer to its founding ideals of equal opportunity for all.

        Thinking back to those days, we can be proud at how far we have come.  Together, we have widened the circle of civil rights and human rights.  And Democrats led the way. And because we led the way, the American Dream became real for more of our people.

        But the Dream is threatened again today. To restore that Dream, is my dream and my purpose in this campaign.

        That is why I seek the Presidency. Not simply to win, but to lead and to serve. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard. And because it is hard, I need your help. Together, my fellow Democrats, we can and will bring about the dawn of a new day for our beloved country.

        Thank you, God bless you and God bless America.