Kerry clears credibility test

John Kerry had two principal tasks Thursday night: Distinguish himself from the incumbent president he hopes to unseat. And - for that majority of Americans who still know little about him - distinguish himself from the unflattering portrait being painted by Republicans.

The coming weeks will determine whether or not he succeeded. But the immediate response from nonpartisan observers is a thumbs up.

"I thought he did what he wanted to do, which is come across as strong, well-informed, and presidential in appearance," says William Lunch, head of the political science department at Oregon State University.

Though he's been an elected official for most of his adult life, Kerry's job Thursday night was similar to the one his early political idol - a much younger John F. Kennedy - faced 44 years ago: Introduce himself to people in a way that makes them feel comfortable with his persona and with the idea of him occupying the Oval Office for the next four years.

"Kerry did what Kennedy did in his first debate with Richard Nixon - presented himself as a credible candidate," says John Allen Williams, professor of political science at Loyola University Chicago.

"He was optimistic, he was articulate, and he was bright," says Dr. Williams, who describes himself as fairly conservative. "He did what he needed to do."

But that's just the beginning for the officially anointed Democratic candidate for the presidency.

Whether or not he receives the typical post-convention "bounce" in the polls, and even though he's about as strongly positioned as any presidential challenger in a generation, Kerry already faces what is likely to be a sharp critique of his record and his positions. And his opponents were quick to take head-on his actions and pronouncements on the two traditional campaign issues: peace and prosperity.

"John Kerry missed an opportunity to help the American people understand his vote for the war in Iraq based on the same intelligence that the president viewed, his description of himself as an antiwar candidate, and his subsequent vote against troops on the front lines," charges Marc Racicot, chairman of the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign. (The "no" vote Mr. Racicot referred to was on the $87 billion in extra funds to pay for US forces in Iraq once it became clear that the war and occupation there would be more than had been anticipated.)

Just as Kerry was about to give his speech, Racicot and GOP Chairman Ed Gillespie sent out a memo charging, among other things: "While he has promised to pay for his healthcare and education plans by raising taxes on people who make more than $200,000 a year, he still comes up billions of dollars short."

But for Kerry to have dwelled, either defensively or offensively, on the details of his record or of his proposals could have been soporific at a time when he crucially needed to soar - or at least rise - above anything that might have confirmed his reputation for wonkishness and flip-flopping.

He did acknowledge that "there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities - and I do - because some issues just aren't all that simple."

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