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Kerry Addresses American Legion Convention; RNC Day Two Internet Response; Implantable Contact Lenses

Aired September 01, 2004 - 11:30 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're following the developing story out of Russia today. That is where a school full of children have been taking hostages by terrorists. We will have an update coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan, live in Atlanta. Let's check what's happening now in the news.

It is the first day of September. Presidential twins Jenna and Barbara Bush are making yet another high-profile appearance at the Republican National Convention this hour. They're introducing White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card at the youth event at Madison Square Garden.

Democratic challenger John Kerry speaks to veterans at the American Legion Convention in Nashville, scheduled to happen this hour. The senator says that President Bush was wrong to suggest the war on terror was not winnable. The president, by the way, backed away from that mark when he spoke to the group yesterday.

U.N. officials are calling for the international community to quickly increase its monitors in the Darfur region. They say that the Sudanese government has not met its promise to stop attacks against civilians.

And attackers seized a school in southern Russia today. More than 100 people, including children, are being held at this hour. At least seven people have been killed. Russian media reports the terrorists want Russian troops to leave Chechnya. Russia is calling for a security council meeting on the crisis late this afternoon.

Well, all morning long, we've been talk to Russian experts about the school hostage situation. Here now, a wrap-up of what some of them are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIMITRI TRENIN, CARNEGIE ENDOW. FOR INTL. PEACE: I would say that this is certainly a challenge to President Putin, to Russia's policies in Chechnya. And this is clearly a declaration of war. It's not so much a war on terror; it's terror that is declaring war on Russia. That's what's happening.

ALEXANDER NEKRASSOV, FMR. YELTSIN ADVISOR: They have made several demands, and it's quite confusing demands to meet different people. It's not quite clear at the moment what their strategy is. But the most important thing is that -- the authorities on the ground. They have a problem in the sense that they don't really know where to expect the next terrorist act to happen.

ALEXEI PUSHKOV, RUSSIAN POLICY ANALYST: I think it can be compared with the American involvement in Iraq. Whatever is being done in Iraq -- terrorist acts, attacks on American troops, and so on -- the United States do not reconsider the necessity of its involvement.

Chechnya is more important to Russia than Iraq, because it is part of Russian territory. If Russia loses Chechnya, it may start a process of disintegration of Russia. So, I don't think that there will be a major rethinking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: About 15 attackers are believed to be involved, some wearing suicide belts. The hostagetakers are threatening to kill children if that school is stormed.

Back here in the U.S., John Kerry addressed the American Legion Convention -- he is set to do that in Nashville at this hour, the group that heard from President Bush yesterday.

Our Joe Johns is traveling with the campaign. Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Lieutenant General Steven Blum speaking right now. Kerry is supposed to come up shortly. This is really an opportunity for him to speak directly to veterans of the American Legion after August, which is pretty tough on him. He got hit by those Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads. In fact, there's another Swift Boat ad running in Nashville right now.

There was some suggestion last night that Kerry will not address the Swift Boat controversy directly in his speech, but he is, in any case, likely to talk about veterans' issues, national security, and all those things that will interest this conservative crowd, the American Legion.

As you know, behind the scenes, there has been this talk that John Kerry's campaign might be considering changes at the top. The campaign has been denying that, really trying to shoot that story down. But also says it could bring in some new people soon, which it says is normal when entering the homestretch of a campaign like this.

They have brought on former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, among others. And in the conference call, even today, the campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, said she is planning to stick around.

Republicans, for their part, are hitting Kerry today for his speech before the American Legion, saying John Kerry ran out of credibility when he voted against funds to support the troops in Iraq and accuses him of indecision, vacillation, and lack of leadership.

Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Joe Johns in Nashville, Tennessee. We'll bring you Senator Kerry's comments live, just as we did President Bush when he was speaking there yesterday.

Now, let's show you a live picture of Madison Square Garden. The vice president will be in the spotlight tonight, where he will officially receive the GOP nomination to the ticket. Also on hand to fire up the crowd, Senator Zell Miller, a prominent Georgia Democrat, who often sides with Republicans in Congress. A youth event taking place right now at the Garden.

President Bush is helping close out the convention tomorrow night. Today, he's in Columbus, Ohio -- considered one of crucial states to win in November. He then travels to New York to visit with firefighters in Queens. He will watch tonight's convention from his hotel in Manhattan.

Let's go now to CNN's political editor John Mercurio for a preview of tonight's convention event and the party's momentum so far. John, good morning.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POL. EDITOR: Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. Let's talk about Vice President Dick Cheney. First of all, the fact that he's even here -- at certain points early, early, early on might have been seemed a surprise.

What happened to the buzz that he was going to be replaced on this ticket?

MERCURIO: Well, I think anybody who ever believed the rumor that he was going to be replaced didn't understand -- didn't have a fundamental understanding of the way that the Bush family works. This is one of the most politically loyal families. They demand loyalty from their allies, and they're loyal to their allies.

And anybody who sort of, I think, thought that Dick Cheney was going to be replaced didn't understand that they would never dump him from the ticket. They would never force him from the ticket.

And also, you have to understand that Bush's father lost in 1992 because he alienated the conservative base. Dick Cheney is George Bush's link, his liaison to the conservative base. And I think they realize that would never -- that would never ever fly, especially the idea of replacing him with someone like Rudy Giuliani, who's from the liberal wing of the party.

KAGAN: And what about this man, Dick Cheney? This is actually a man that both sides actually love, for a certain way. I mean, the Republicans love him because, as you said, he appeals to the conservative base. He also raises a ton of cash. The Democrats love him because he's an easy figure to polarize, and they basically love to hate him. MERCURIO: You know, he's a lot in that respect like Hillary Clinton. Both sides feel like they can really profit and benefit from Dick Cheney. As you said, he helps Republicans raise money. He also helps Democrats raise a lot of money.

Now, there's new polling out today that says that Dick Cheney -- his unfavorable rating for the first time ever is higher -- is slightly, slightly higher than his favorable rating. So, you know, he goes into his speech tonight with that on his shoulders.

You know, but there was never, again, like I said, any chance that President Bush was going to dump him. So, I think Republicans have learned -- whether they agree with everything that he stands for, they've learned to sort of accept him for who he is. If they like the nominee, George Bush, then they're going to accept Dick Cheney, as well.

KAGAN: All right, let's look at the other ticket -- John Kerry. Are there concerns in that campaign? We've been told don't use the word 'shakeup,' but there might be some job reshuffling, perhaps, on that campaign.

Is it late in the game to start doing things like that?

MERCURIO: It's not late in the game yet, but it could be late in the game next week. I mean, I think there's sort of this artificial deadline or benchmark that people put on Labor Day as a time to sort of check and see the status of the campaigns. There's going to be a lot of polling done over this weekend, I think, on where the campaign stands, post-Republican convention and sort of heading into this final stretch.

I think that John Kerry needs to -- is being told by a lot of Democrats that he needs to focus his message, sharpen his message, you know, try to head out of Labor Day with a much more effective message. But as far as any sort of shakeup or changes inside his campaign, we've been told -- we've been give no reason to believe that that's imminent right now.

KAGAN: All right. CNN's John Mercurio, live from New York City. John, thank you.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

KAGAN: The Republican National Convention has reached the halfway point. Everyone is looking for a bump or bounce. Are they getting it online?

AOL's Regina Lewis joins us from Madison Square Garden with the RNC online buzz. Regina, good morning.

REGINA LEWIS, AOL: Good morning, Daryn. Here's what we know so far. Industry tracking has traffic to the official George Bush Web site up 50 percent.

Here's the big news and the real surprise. Traffic to the John Kerry Web site down 71 percent. We didn't expect to see that, because in contrast, at the DNC, traffic to both sides was up significantly: Kerry, 160 percent; Bush, 75 percent. If you're looking for signs of a swing, that's a big one.

KAGAN: Let's look at how some of the other player from last night did. First of all, the twins, Barbara and Jenna Bush, came out and gave a speech introducing their father, some would say with some questionable jokes. How did they play online?

LEWIS: They didn't play so well. Fell a little bit flat. The best posting I saw suggested a laugh track next time around. So, they got mixed reviews.

I just got off the phone with the guy who runs the AOL News area, though. Very interesting finding. Last night was bigger overall online than anything at the DNC and then -- and even last night. So far, the most clicked on video for on demand speeches: not Rudy, not McCain, not Arnold -- Laura Bush. Never underestimate wired moms online. Pretty active bunch, and they seem to love her.

KAGAN: Interesting. How did Arnold Schwarzenegger play online?

LEWIS: Very well. Coming into last night, in a big online poll, 47 percent said they thought he could help the ticket coming out of last night. That number went up to 50 percent.

The line of the night, hands down -- they have a really neat "Rate the Quote" feature -- 82 percent gave "economic girlie-men" a thumbs up. He probably knew that coming in that it would play well.

KAGAN: Yes, it did get a big response in the hall, as well. Regina Lewis from Madison Square Garden, thank you.

Back to the vice president now. His daughter Liz is bristling over remarks by Illinois Senate Candidate Alan Keyes. The Republican Keyes had unflattering words for the other Cheney daughter, Mary, who is a lesbian and has come out as that.

Here is a portion of the interview on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" with Bill Hemmer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Alan Keyes -- who is here in New York, as well -- running for the Senate in Illinois referred to Mary, based on his definition about how he sees gays in America, as a selfish hedonist.

When you hear those words, how do you react?

LIZ CHENEY, DAUGHTER OF DICK CHENEY: I guess I'm surprised, frankly, that you would even repeat the quote and I'm not going to dignify it with a comment.

HEMMER: Not even -- want to touch it today?

CHENEY: It doesn't deserve a comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: All right. The vice president recently acknowledged Mary Cheney's sexual orientation publicly for first time. He admitted his differences with President Bush over the issue of gay marriage.

More to come from the convention, including a look at some of the loud, the proud, the angry, and the just plain weird. Jeanne Moos is our woman to handle that. She profiles the protesters just ahead.

But up next, say goodbye to glasses. We're opening your eyes to a remarkable new procedure that could help improve your vision. That's up next in our "Daily Dose" of health news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: News that could help some people see better is the focus of our "Daily Dose" of health news. For people with severe nearsightedness, corrective surgery, like LASIK, is not an option.

The FDA, though, is poised to approve a new procedure. And our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details on that. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, I know you were faking it. You have great vision.

KAGAN: Yes, I do. I do -- 20/20. I can't appreciate -- I mean, I have great sympathy for people who wear the glasses and the contacts, but I cannot appreciate what a huge pain it is.

COHEN: Well, we're going to show you some video that's going to help you appreciate it even more.

KAGAN: OK.

COHEN: Some people can't see more than six inches away from them when they wake up in the morning. Everything is a blur. And -- there you see. Oh, what are those, trees? What could they be? It's hard to tell. Is that a truck?

So, for those people, when they wake up in the morning, they can't see anything. And for many of those people, LASIK is not really an option if their vision is that bad.

So, two companies now say that they expect to receive FDA approval for something called implantable contact lenses. It's a 20- minute surgical procedure -- and you can see them there. Those are put into the eye, and then -- the whole thing, again 20 minutes. The patients walk away from the procedure. Their vision is improved almost immediately, according to companies that make these products.

And let's take a look at another way of looking at it to see how that lens...

KAGAN: Oh, that's a nice picture.

COHEN: Here's the eye, and there's the lens. It's apparently about the size of the tip of your pinky. And it slides right in there and actually clips to your iris, which is the colored part of your eye. And the reason why it needs to clip is so that it won't roll all over the place and so, that you can keep your vision.

The companies that make these two products say that this is -- people's eyesight has been corrected without halos and all of those problems. The potential risks include infections and cataracts.

KAGAN: Also, gross...

COHEN: And -- oh, there it is, the yellow thing right there. I'm sorry, Daryn -- the yellow thing right there, that's the actual lens. Right.

KAGAN: There's also the risk of grossing out people on the west coast who are eating their breakfast.

COHEN: That's right.

KAGAN: Looking at eyeball graphics. Sorry for that.

So, but -- so, does this replace LASIK?

COHEN: This would not replace LASIK, because people who have an astigmatism, they're probably going to be still better off with LASIK.

What's interesting that's happening now is that -- and here you see LASIK surgery being performed -- is that you have glasses, you have contact lenses, you have various forms of LASIK. You have now perhaps these new, implantable contact lenses. And people with different vision problems are going to do better with different kinds of tools.

And you know, some people are just happy with glasses and don't want to deal with all of this.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

COHEN: So, a lot of choices out there.

KAGAN: What about the cost of this procedure?

COHEN: High, between $3,000 and $3,500. That's the expected cost.

KAGAN: Which is about what LASIK costs, right?

COHEN: It's a little bit more than what LASIK cost. And of course, LASIK now, you see billboards for, you know, $999 or whatever. You don't necessarily want to go to that place.

But it's not covered by insurance, which is important to remember. It's considered cosmetic. So, you've got to dish out that money yourself.

KAGAN: There you go.

COHEN: And what's interesting about these lenses, too, is that you can take them back out if your prescription changes or whatever; you can take them back out and exchange them.

KAGAN: Yes, and have more stuff in your eyeball.

COHEN: That's right, coming in and out.

KAGAN: All right. Elizabeth, thank you for that.

And you can get your "Daily Dose" of health news online. We have that for you at CNN.com.

Let's go live -- this is at Madison Square Garden. Barbara and Jenna Bush, addressing a youth convention at the Republican Convention.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JENNA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: I covered myself head from to toe in wet paper towels, hoping he would finally take me home. But we stayed to the end. Dad always supports his team until the very last pitch.

(APPLAUSE)

He sticks with his commitment, and he can take the heat, literally. That's a critical quality in a dad and in a president.

(APPLAUSE)

BARBARA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Our dad does have so many qualities that are important in a president. He is open-minded, and he always encourages my sister and me to follow our interests and passions. Growing up, he guided us with strong values, but he also listened to us and gave us room to develop our own opinion. He has so many diverse friends from all over the country and from different political backgrounds.

Our dad is also extremely down to earth. For the last 10 years, whenever Jenna and I brought our friends home, they were meeting someone whose title was "governor" or "president." Yet in our house, to our friends he was always just our dad. He made everyone feel welcome and comfortable, except for the occasional boyfriends.

Another quality that my sister and I are perhaps all too familiar with is that our dad is extremely disciplined and always on time. This quality didn't always work to our advantage, especially when we missed from curfew.

But from running a marathon at age 45, to reading the Bible daily, to giving up his greatest passion, cheesecake, our dad has shown us the importance of living a disciplined life. When it come to making sure dad can maintain that disciplined life, he needs a little help from someone in the White House. They tried to get our grandmother, the enforcer, to move back in, but she said she was tired of the public eye. My mom definitely can't do it alone.

So this man, with the help of our famous dog, Barney, keeps our dad in line. I'm pleased to introduce a great man who has helped out our dad in countless ways the first four years, and would like to keep his job for the next four years. It is our pleasure to introduce White House chief of staff Andy Card.

(APPLAUSE)

KAGAN: Well, that was a repeat performance by Barbara and Jenna Bush, the daughters of President Bush. They introduced their father last night who introduced their mother. Today they were addressing a youth convention at the Republican National Convention.

We'll take a break. Weather and more news ahead, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to show you what took place just a few minutes ago at the Republican National Convention, at Madison Square Garden. Protesters disrupting what's taking place there, this morning. And that is a national youth convention. I think we have tape of what took place.

This was just as the Bush twins, Barbara and Jenna, were leaving the stage, protesters trying to disrupt and trying to make a statement. Not exactly clear what their statement was, other than disrupting what was taking place. They were hauled off by security rather forcibly.

And about two or three -- it looks like two or three young women taken off the floor. Apparently, we were getting word that they were AIDS activists there.

Once again, the event taking place right now is a national youth convention. And as you just saw, if you were with us live a couple minutes ago, it was the Bush twins who were addressing the young people.

All right, let's go New York City to Nashville, Tennessee. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee is addressing the American Legion at national convention, the largest group of veterans in the U.S.

Let's listen in to the senator.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: ... they gave me three pieces of advice about this speech. Rule number one, absolutely no balloons.

(LAUGHTER) I said, "No problem."

Rule number two, absolutely no confetti or streamers. I said, "No problem."

Then they told me rule number three: "Keep your speech under 10 minutes." I said, "Now we got a problem."

(LAUGHTER)

Eighty-five years ago, as all of you know, the American Legion was founded by and for our nation's veterans. As one of those veterans who has benefited from your advocacy, and one of the members, I'm honored to accept this invitation to be here today.

KERRY: And I am proud of what the American Legion does every single day to advance the ideals of America. We are grateful.

You are the citizen soldiers who know that our service doesn't end in our duty station or on the battlefield; it begins there. You know that the pledge that we took to defend America is also a pledge to protect the promise that America offers.

And let there be no doubt: When I am president, you will have a fellow veteran in the White House who understands that those who fought for our country abroad should never have to fight for what they were promised back here at home.

(APPLAUSE)

In the spirit of all the men and women in uniform who we honor here, I want to be clear: As president, I will always remember that America's security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airmen, Marine and Coast Guardsman, with every man and woman in our armed services who has ever stood guard at the gates of freedom.

And today, I salute each and every one of you for your commitment, strength and extraordinary courage.

America says thank you, and we all join...

(APPLAUSE)

And I particularly want to say thank you, as I think many of you do -- my dad was a greatest generation vet. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was among one of the first classes that went through the Air Corps. And he was retired out because he got tuberculosis.

I was born at an Army hospital -- Fitzsimmons Army Hospital during the war in 1943.

And so, having joined with many of you in Washington at the dedication of the memorial, I think every single one of us here wants to join together in a special salute to the greatest generation veterans whose memorial finally stands proudly in an appropriate place of honor on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for your example -- extraordinary example as citizen soldiers.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: I also want to speak just for a moment directly to those who are currently risking their lives as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan and in other parts of the world.

America's prayers are with you. We honor your service and we thank you for your sacrifice and we pledge to stand with your families as you are standing with our families now.

These young men and women, as you've heard from General Myers and from others -- I had occasion to be just the other day visiting General Shalikashvili who had a stroke recently. And I was in Washington and went to the hospital and while I was there I met with some of the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan. And I've been out to Walter Reed to meet with them there, too.

They're extraordinary. Their spirits are so high. Their commitment to our country is so stunning, so deep. These young men and women are the best of America and they deserve the gratitude of our nation.

(APPLAUSE)

In March of 1919, five months after the November armistice ended the war that was to end all wars, members of the American Expeditionary Force gathered in Paris to establish our American Legion. Their cause remains our cause to this day: For God and country, we associate ourselves together.

This is not only a pledge, but it's a principle that we have carried to war and I think lived in peace. We know that with the privilege of freedom comes an obligation to give back, to serve and to risk on behalf of others. That's something that I carry in my heart and in my gut and I know that you do, too.

And while your service and sacrifice are well known, what is not as well known is how hard we fought, veterans -- how hard veterans fought after returning from service to keep faith with fellow soldiers.

After returning from Vietnam I saw vets who weren't getting the care that they needed in our hospitals.

KERRY: So we fought hard together and we got additional funding for the VA hospitals, and we got hospital care for places that weren't able to provide it.

To help those veterans who were having difficulty adjusting after the war, we founded the first medical assistance programs in the country. We put together the first ever outreach groups to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. Others of other wars had known it. People of World War I and World War II had known what was then called shell shock, but coming out of Vietnam with all of the problems of the war and the divisions, there was a different attitude.

And so, we needed to fight as veterans to help to provide that assistance.

And I'm proud that today in the VA there are outreach centers and there's a formal recognition of PTSD.

We stood with veterans by getting the GI Bill extended, because so many of those returning had, kind of, gone underground and gotten lost and they came back after the date had come down on them and they couldn't use it. So we were able to open the doors of opportunity to vets so they could improve their lives.

We fought hard for increases in veterans' allowances for living expenses, so veterans could actually go to school and open the doors of opportunity.

And I stand here proud as I know you are proud that we kept faith together.

It was veterans fighting for veterans. We veterans made that happen and I think we should be proud of what we accomplished for our fellow service men and women.

Now, in recent weeks you've heard from some who have claimed that the job is getting done for veterans. Well, I say to you respectfully that just saying that the job is getting done doesn't make it so. My friends, let me tell you when the job will be done.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when 500,000 veterans are not excluded from the VA health system.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when we stop closing VA hospitals so that veterans don't have to struggle to find the care or travel extraordinary distances to be able to get the care that they need.

The job will be done when the government stops asking veterans for increased co-payments, increased enrollment fees, increased charges that shift the burden of care to other veterans and drive more than a million veterans out of the health care system.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when 400,000 military retirees get real, full concurrent receipt.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me tell you, this is common sense.

KERRY: I think it's in keeping the full Americanism that is at the heart and core of the charter and the oath of the Legion.

If you earned a pension, it's yours. It's just like the private sector. You worked for it, you obeyed the rules, you rose in the ranks, you got your pay grade and you got your money.

If you get a disability payment it's because you suffered something. It's a disability. And the disability is supposed to make up for the suffering.

I don't believe the government should subtract what you have suffered from what you have earned. I believe you deserve a full concurrent payment.

(APPLAUSE)

And the job will be done when there are no homeless veterans on the streets of America; when 320,000 veterans are no longer waiting for decisions on disability claims and another 100,000 are no longer waiting for appeals decisions.

The job will be done when the VA secretary doesn't have to complain publicly that he needs $1.2 billion more because he was turned down by a White House that spent the money on tax cuts for those at the top instead. I believe veterans come first.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when we repeal the tax on military widows.

And mark my words: The job will be done when the family of 21- year-old Jay Breseno (ph), a veteran who is facing a lifetime of disability, when that family doesn't have to sleep at his bedside because the VA can't afford to give him round-the-clock nursing care that he needs.

That's not right. That's certainly not compassionate. And when I'm president that won't happen.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, we have a great tradition of fighting for our veterans, all of us together, and we will fight for our fellow veterans because we know that the first definition of patriotism is not talking about it, it's keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of the United States.

And from standing with John McCain to find out the truth about what happened to our POWs and MIAs in Vietnam, to personally writing the legislation that provided help and health care to the victims of Agent Orange, I'm proud of the fights that we have won for our fellow veterans.

(APPLAUSE)

At this moment, we have in place -- we as a nation -- the most exhaustive, comprehensive effort to account for the missing or captured and the most extraordinary procedures now in place in the event of war that have ever been put in place in all of the history of human warfare, and America should be proud of that.

KERRY: As president, I will lead the fight for a military family bill of rights and mandatory funding for veterans' health care.

(APPLAUSE)

I believe that that is keeping faith.

And we not only honor those who have served, but we're going to stand by those who are serving today. We are a country at war. We know that too well. The president talked about it yesterday, others are consumed by it.

We're a country at war and not only in Iraq but a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have known before. In all corners of the world our soldiers' lives are on the line. More than 150,000 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are far away from their families and thousands more are in harm's way elsewhere.

My friends in the Legion and my fellow Americans, we owe them the truth. We owe the American people the truth. And I'm here today to tell you the truth as I see it.

I can't come here and fulfill my obligation as a candidate for president of these great United States of America and not give you an honest and serious appraisal of the challenge we face in Iraq and the war on terror.

No one in the United States doubted the outcome in Iraq or how swiftly the war would be won. No one. We knew we had the best trained troops in the world and, true to form, they performed magnificently, and we are all proud and grateful.

(APPLAUSE)

But the certainty of winning the war placed the most solemn obligation on the civilian leadership of this country to make certain that we had a plan to win the peace. The Army chief of staff, General Shinseki, told Congress we would need several hundred thousand American troops to win the peace and do the job properly.

KERRY: His candor was rewarded with early retirement and his advice ignored, sending a chilling message throughout the ranks of the professional military.

By dismissing the State Department's plan for postwar Iraq and proceeding unilaterally, the civilian leadership simply did not put the mechanism in place to be able to secure the country.

They were unprepared for the looting, insecurity and insurgency that burst out with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

They failed to secure Iraq's borders and so allowed thousands of foreign terrorists, Islamist militants and intelligence agents to penetrate and destabilize postwar Iraq.

Amazingly, they had no real plan for postwar political transition.

All of this happened despite clear and precise bipartisan warnings from Congress and regional experts.

Then as the challenge grew around our troops, the civilian leadership failed to respond adequately; failed to share responsibility with NATO, the greatest alliance we've ever built; failed to share it with the U.N., which also offered assistance; failed to share reconstruction or decision-making as a way of inviting others to shoulder the burden; and failed to provide the security on the ground necessary for postwar reconstruction.

They rushed and short-changed the training and equipment of the Iraqi police. They failed to recruit enough experts in language and culture of the region and used those that they had ineffectively.

The civilian leadership made a decision to disband the Iraqi military completely, so there was no internal structure to maintain order. They chose consciously to put an American instead of an international face on the occupation; failed to prepare for a large number of prisoners; and most significantly, failed even to guard nuclear waste and ammunition storage sites, despite the fact that weapons of mass destruction was their fundamental reason for the war.

KERRY: And some of the weapons that we didn't guard are the very weapons being targeted at our troops today.

As a result, today terrorists have secured havens in Iraq that were not there before. And we have been forced to reach accommodation with those that have repeatedly attacked our troops. Violence has spread in Iraq. Iran has expand its influence and extremism has gained momentum.

Now, I know that some of these things are hard to listen to. I know that it's always tough to talk truth to power. But I think the president himself on Monday admitted that he miscalculated in Iraq.

In truth, his miscalculation was ignoring the advice that was given to him, including the best advice of America's own military.

So when the president says we have the same position on Iraq, I have to respectfully disagree. Our differences could not be plainer, and I have set them out consistently.

When it comes to Iraq it's not that I would have done one thing differently, I would have done almost everything differently.

I would have relied on American troops in Tora Bora, the best troops in the world, when we had Osama bin Laden in our sights, trapped in the mountains. I would not have sent Afghans up into those mountains who a week earlier had been fighting on the other side. I would have sent the best-trained forces in the world to get the number one criminal and terrorist in the world. (APPLAUSE)

I never would have diverted resources so quickly from Afghanistan before finishing the job. I would have given the inspectors the time they needed to do the job, not because that might have done the whole job of getting the weapons, but because by doing so we could have brought other countries to our side, which is the way you provide our troops with the best protection and the way you provide America with the greatest chance of success.

KERRY: I would have made sure that we listened to our senior military advisers.

I would have made sure that every soldier put in harm's way had state-of-the-art body armor, state-of-the-art Humvees and the equipment we needed.

I would have built a strong, broad coalition of our allies around the world because every one of you sitting here knows, no matter what -- take away party affiliation: This isn't Democrat. This isn't Republican. This isn't independent. This is just common sense. Because everyone here knows that the best way to protect the troops is to make sure not only they have the equipment, but that you're going from the maximum position of strength.

If there's one thing I learned from my service, which was a difficult time as we all know, I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace. That I think is critical.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, the bottom line, fellow Legionnaires, is this: that I don't believe we, you, have to be shouldering nearly the entire financial cost of this war -- more than $200 billion -- and short-changing investments and health care and veterans, in education, and our safety at home.

But the question now is not just what we should have done, but what we can and must now do. I don't think we need what President Bush has defined as a catastrophic success. I think we need a real success.

We need to bring our allies to our side. We need to share the burdens, the cost to the American taxpayer. We need to share the burden and reduce the risk to American soldiers. Together, we near to more rapidly train Iraqi police and military to take over the job of protecting the country.

That is what I will do as commander in chief because I'll tell you what, that's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home as fast as possible.

(APPLAUSE)

In an interview two days ago the president said, "We can't win the war on terror." I know he said something different to you yesterday, but I absolutely disagree with what he said in that interview in a moment of candor.

With the right policies, this is a war we can win. This is a war we must win and this is a war we will win because we're the can-do people and there's nothing we can't do if we put our mind and our muscle into it.

In the end, the terrorists will lose and we will win because the future does not belong to fear, it belongs to freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me tell you how we're going to do that.

KERRY: To win the war on terror, we're going to add 40,000 active duty troops to our military, not in Iraq -- emphasize, not in Iraq -- but nine out of 10 of our Army divisions are now either in Iraq, going to Iraq, coming back from Iraq, getting ready to go to Iraq -- nine out of 10 -- even as Iran and North Korea get more dangerous.

Our troops are overstretched, overextended, under pressure. I intend to double our special forces to conduct anti-terrorist operations. I'm going to provide our troops with the newest weapons and the newest technology to save their lives and win the battle.

And we will end the backdoor draft of the National Guard and reservists that is taking place today.

(APPLAUSE)

Ladies and gentlemen, to win the war on terror you have to know who the terrorists are. You have to know where they are and what they're hiding and plotting. And you have to know what they're planning. And you have to be able to go get them before they get us.

Now, how do you do that? Last year I called for the creation of a national intelligence director. I believe that we should have moved earlier and more decisively to strengthen America's intelligence- gathering ability. Why? Because we need the best intelligence in the world so that policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics.

And to get that, to have the best intelligence in the world, to know where Osama bin Laden is, to know who's plotting what before they come, you've got to have the best cooperation that we've ever had from every country on this planet.

I know that we can do a better job of building that cooperation, but to do so we have to use every tool in our arsenal: our economic policy, our diplomacy, our nongovernmental organizations, our humanitarian organizations, our values and our ideals.

I will do that as president. And I am convinced that if the United States reaches out in a way that we have traditionally with the great alliances of World War I and World War II and all through our history, including the Cold War, those alliances have been the bedrock of our strength, and I believe we can do a better job of revitalizing those alliances and of taking pressure off the American taxpayer and the American troop.

Now, I want to speak today about just one other challenge.

When the troops who are fighting for us over there come home, we owe them an America where they can get the ability to plan a future, get a job that lets them get ahead; an America where military families are part of a growing middle class, not struggling to join it.

KERRY: In his 1933 address to this convention, Franklin Roosevelt said, "You men of the Legion have been willing to fight for the benefits of American life and you've been willing to live for American unity."

My friends, I believe that the full duty of the commander in chief is to lead an America where the benefits of American life are available to all who have risked their lives defending our country.

This is the 100 percent Americanism the Legion has always stood for.

(APPLAUSE)

Our citizen soldiers are hard-working, middle-class Americans who live by real American values: faith and family, service and sacrifice, responsibility and hard work. They need jobs, health care and a good education to live those values.

But for the first time since the Great Depression, America has lost jobs: 2.7 million manufacturing jobs in the last four years alone.

More than 45 million Americans don't have any health insurance at all and some 25 to 30 million don't have it for part of the year. Five million Americans have lost their health care coverage since the year 2000.

This year alone, more than 220,000 more Americans could not afford to go to college.

I believe we have an important obligation and I think you share it.

When our soldiers come home and need a job, we believe they deserve better than four more years of rewarding companies that take the jobs overseas.

(APPLAUSE)

Our plan will close the tax loopholes and actually provide new incentives to create the manufacturing jobs here in America and to increase the numbers of high-paying jobs that we need.

When our soldiers find those jobs, we believe that they deserve more than finding a job that pays on average $9,000 less than the job that we lost that goes overseas.

Our plan will create the jobs of the future that pay more, not less; jobs where after a week's work in America people can pay their bills, provide for their children, lift up the quality of their lives.

And we can do this by moving into new manufacturing techniques, by doing science and research, by pushing the curve of discovery, as we did in the 1990s when we not only paid down the debt, we not only balanced the budget, we not only cut the deficit, but we created 23 million new jobs at the same time.

And when our soldiers plan the family budget, we believe that they deserve more than four years of a government that's going deeper and deeper into debt.

Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing conservative about building up deficits as far as the eye can see.

(APPLAUSE)

Our plan will cut the deficit in half over the course of the next four years. And we will do it by passing reforms that John McCain and I have fought for together, to end corporate welfare and by making governments stay within a budget just like you do.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: And when our soldiers pay their taxes, we believe that they deserve better than a fiscal policy that has actually, over the last four years, raised the tax burden on the middle class and lowered the tax burden for the wealthiest people in America.

We believe that our soldiers, when they return, deserve a tax policy for the middle class and for working families that will help them pay for health care, child care and sending a son or daughter to college, which is why we provide a $4,000 tuition tax credit to help parents be able to do it.

And when our soldiers and their families get sick, I really believe that it is part of the moral fiber of our nation, the richest nation on the face of the planet, the only industrial nation in the world not yet to do this, to understand that people deserve more than four more years of rising health care costs, unaffordable prescription drugs, skyrocketing premiums and no plan to do anything about it.

Health care costs are crushing businesses and individuals alike and it's one of the reasons so many companies are deciding to move offshore because they need to get out from under.

We have a plan to make America more competitive by getting the greed and the waste out of the system. It's not a government plan. There's no new bureaucracy. We don't order you to do anything. You choose your doctor, choose your plan. But we provide powerful incentives that people will grab a hold of and that will save the average family up to $1,000 a year in their premiums. It is the first proposal that I will send to the United States Congress next January. We will make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans.

And I intend to follow it up immediately by sending back to the Congress the flawed prescription drug bill that prohibits Medicare from actually negotiating a lower price so that you, the taxpayer, and you, the senior, can actually put money in your pockets instead of putting it into the pockets of the largest drug companies in America.

KERRY: I'm going to send that bill back and we're going to get a real Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors in our country.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, I'd just close by saying to you that I have a deep belief that the United States of America has an obligation to see to it that America is not the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't understand the truth about health care.

Senators and congressmen give themselves the best health care in the world and they give you the bill. I believe that every American's family is as important in their health care as any politician in Washington, D.C. And we're going to see to it that you get the health care you deserve.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, 61 years ago a World War I veteran sat down on a cold December day and he thought about the 15 million men and women who would soon return victorious from the Second World War. In the middle of a war he was already thinking about what kind of America they would come home to and he dreamed about what kind of America they deserved.

A first lieutenant who had joined the Army Air Service, he probably thought about his own trip back to America after World War I; the water beneath him as the boat glided towards the land he loved after a long and tough war. He probably recalled the hope that came with his first knock on the door of a home that he'd left years ago and the look of happiness and joy and possibility on the face of a wife and faces of children that he hadn't been sure that he would see again.

And on that December 15th day, 1943, in a Washington, D.C., hotel room, this veteran who didn't forget drafted in longhand a piece of legislation that would secure that hope and that possibility for all who returned home to the land they loved.

Since its passage 60 years ago, the G.I. Bill of Rights has provided education and training for nearly 8 million Americans, housing for nearly 2 million families, and led to the creation of the great middle class that we are now trying to save.

And for all who know the ideals upon which this organization was founded, it should come as no surprise that the author of that bill was 1st Lieutenant Harry Colmery, American Legion national commander. (APPLAUSE)

KERRY: For that act and for his vision, Commander Colmery was an American hero and he deserves the Medal of Freedom that Congress has called on the president to award him.

But to truly honor his memory, we, all of us, must commit ourselves to the work of building up the great American middle class. We have to get over the divisions. We have to find a way not to have the politics that looks for the lowest common denominator, but one that reaches for the highest common denominator, one that finds it possible for people to be able to find the common ground together.

John McCain found that common ground with me when together we traveled back and I stood in his prison cell. He and I coming from very different places, but we worked together for our country to strengthen our nation.

For our soldiers, for their families, for all those hardworking Americans who are looking to build a better life, we have to pursue a path that once again places the American dream within the reach of every American citizen.

And I promise you this: If I am your next president, I will serve with the pledge of the American Legion in my heart, to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy.

Thank you and God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: And with that salute, John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, concludes more than a half hour's speech, some 35 minutes speaking before the American Legion in Nashville Tennessee, the largest group of veterans here in the United States.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Aired September 1, 2004 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're following the developing story out of Russia today. That is where a school full of children have been taking hostages by terrorists. We will have an update coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan, live in Atlanta. Let's check what's happening now in the news.

It is the first day of September. Presidential twins Jenna and Barbara Bush are making yet another high-profile appearance at the Republican National Convention this hour. They're introducing White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card at the youth event at Madison Square Garden.

Democratic challenger John Kerry speaks to veterans at the American Legion Convention in Nashville, scheduled to happen this hour. The senator says that President Bush was wrong to suggest the war on terror was not winnable. The president, by the way, backed away from that mark when he spoke to the group yesterday.

U.N. officials are calling for the international community to quickly increase its monitors in the Darfur region. They say that the Sudanese government has not met its promise to stop attacks against civilians.

And attackers seized a school in southern Russia today. More than 100 people, including children, are being held at this hour. At least seven people have been killed. Russian media reports the terrorists want Russian troops to leave Chechnya. Russia is calling for a security council meeting on the crisis late this afternoon.

Well, all morning long, we've been talk to Russian experts about the school hostage situation. Here now, a wrap-up of what some of them are saying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIMITRI TRENIN, CARNEGIE ENDOW. FOR INTL. PEACE: I would say that this is certainly a challenge to President Putin, to Russia's policies in Chechnya. And this is clearly a declaration of war. It's not so much a war on terror; it's terror that is declaring war on Russia. That's what's happening.

ALEXANDER NEKRASSOV, FMR. YELTSIN ADVISOR: They have made several demands, and it's quite confusing demands to meet different people. It's not quite clear at the moment what their strategy is. But the most important thing is that -- the authorities on the ground. They have a problem in the sense that they don't really know where to expect the next terrorist act to happen.

ALEXEI PUSHKOV, RUSSIAN POLICY ANALYST: I think it can be compared with the American involvement in Iraq. Whatever is being done in Iraq -- terrorist acts, attacks on American troops, and so on -- the United States do not reconsider the necessity of its involvement.

Chechnya is more important to Russia than Iraq, because it is part of Russian territory. If Russia loses Chechnya, it may start a process of disintegration of Russia. So, I don't think that there will be a major rethinking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: About 15 attackers are believed to be involved, some wearing suicide belts. The hostagetakers are threatening to kill children if that school is stormed.

Back here in the U.S., John Kerry addressed the American Legion Convention -- he is set to do that in Nashville at this hour, the group that heard from President Bush yesterday.

Our Joe Johns is traveling with the campaign. Good morning, Joe.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Lieutenant General Steven Blum speaking right now. Kerry is supposed to come up shortly. This is really an opportunity for him to speak directly to veterans of the American Legion after August, which is pretty tough on him. He got hit by those Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads. In fact, there's another Swift Boat ad running in Nashville right now.

There was some suggestion last night that Kerry will not address the Swift Boat controversy directly in his speech, but he is, in any case, likely to talk about veterans' issues, national security, and all those things that will interest this conservative crowd, the American Legion.

As you know, behind the scenes, there has been this talk that John Kerry's campaign might be considering changes at the top. The campaign has been denying that, really trying to shoot that story down. But also says it could bring in some new people soon, which it says is normal when entering the homestretch of a campaign like this.

They have brought on former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, among others. And in the conference call, even today, the campaign manager, Mary Beth Cahill, said she is planning to stick around.

Republicans, for their part, are hitting Kerry today for his speech before the American Legion, saying John Kerry ran out of credibility when he voted against funds to support the troops in Iraq and accuses him of indecision, vacillation, and lack of leadership.

Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Joe Johns in Nashville, Tennessee. We'll bring you Senator Kerry's comments live, just as we did President Bush when he was speaking there yesterday.

Now, let's show you a live picture of Madison Square Garden. The vice president will be in the spotlight tonight, where he will officially receive the GOP nomination to the ticket. Also on hand to fire up the crowd, Senator Zell Miller, a prominent Georgia Democrat, who often sides with Republicans in Congress. A youth event taking place right now at the Garden.

President Bush is helping close out the convention tomorrow night. Today, he's in Columbus, Ohio -- considered one of crucial states to win in November. He then travels to New York to visit with firefighters in Queens. He will watch tonight's convention from his hotel in Manhattan.

Let's go now to CNN's political editor John Mercurio for a preview of tonight's convention event and the party's momentum so far. John, good morning.

JOHN MERCURIO, CNN POL. EDITOR: Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. Let's talk about Vice President Dick Cheney. First of all, the fact that he's even here -- at certain points early, early, early on might have been seemed a surprise.

What happened to the buzz that he was going to be replaced on this ticket?

MERCURIO: Well, I think anybody who ever believed the rumor that he was going to be replaced didn't understand -- didn't have a fundamental understanding of the way that the Bush family works. This is one of the most politically loyal families. They demand loyalty from their allies, and they're loyal to their allies.

And anybody who sort of, I think, thought that Dick Cheney was going to be replaced didn't understand that they would never dump him from the ticket. They would never force him from the ticket.

And also, you have to understand that Bush's father lost in 1992 because he alienated the conservative base. Dick Cheney is George Bush's link, his liaison to the conservative base. And I think they realize that would never -- that would never ever fly, especially the idea of replacing him with someone like Rudy Giuliani, who's from the liberal wing of the party.

KAGAN: And what about this man, Dick Cheney? This is actually a man that both sides actually love, for a certain way. I mean, the Republicans love him because, as you said, he appeals to the conservative base. He also raises a ton of cash. The Democrats love him because he's an easy figure to polarize, and they basically love to hate him. MERCURIO: You know, he's a lot in that respect like Hillary Clinton. Both sides feel like they can really profit and benefit from Dick Cheney. As you said, he helps Republicans raise money. He also helps Democrats raise a lot of money.

Now, there's new polling out today that says that Dick Cheney -- his unfavorable rating for the first time ever is higher -- is slightly, slightly higher than his favorable rating. So, you know, he goes into his speech tonight with that on his shoulders.

You know, but there was never, again, like I said, any chance that President Bush was going to dump him. So, I think Republicans have learned -- whether they agree with everything that he stands for, they've learned to sort of accept him for who he is. If they like the nominee, George Bush, then they're going to accept Dick Cheney, as well.

KAGAN: All right, let's look at the other ticket -- John Kerry. Are there concerns in that campaign? We've been told don't use the word 'shakeup,' but there might be some job reshuffling, perhaps, on that campaign.

Is it late in the game to start doing things like that?

MERCURIO: It's not late in the game yet, but it could be late in the game next week. I mean, I think there's sort of this artificial deadline or benchmark that people put on Labor Day as a time to sort of check and see the status of the campaigns. There's going to be a lot of polling done over this weekend, I think, on where the campaign stands, post-Republican convention and sort of heading into this final stretch.

I think that John Kerry needs to -- is being told by a lot of Democrats that he needs to focus his message, sharpen his message, you know, try to head out of Labor Day with a much more effective message. But as far as any sort of shakeup or changes inside his campaign, we've been told -- we've been give no reason to believe that that's imminent right now.

KAGAN: All right. CNN's John Mercurio, live from New York City. John, thank you.

MERCURIO: Thank you.

KAGAN: The Republican National Convention has reached the halfway point. Everyone is looking for a bump or bounce. Are they getting it online?

AOL's Regina Lewis joins us from Madison Square Garden with the RNC online buzz. Regina, good morning.

REGINA LEWIS, AOL: Good morning, Daryn. Here's what we know so far. Industry tracking has traffic to the official George Bush Web site up 50 percent.

Here's the big news and the real surprise. Traffic to the John Kerry Web site down 71 percent. We didn't expect to see that, because in contrast, at the DNC, traffic to both sides was up significantly: Kerry, 160 percent; Bush, 75 percent. If you're looking for signs of a swing, that's a big one.

KAGAN: Let's look at how some of the other player from last night did. First of all, the twins, Barbara and Jenna Bush, came out and gave a speech introducing their father, some would say with some questionable jokes. How did they play online?

LEWIS: They didn't play so well. Fell a little bit flat. The best posting I saw suggested a laugh track next time around. So, they got mixed reviews.

I just got off the phone with the guy who runs the AOL News area, though. Very interesting finding. Last night was bigger overall online than anything at the DNC and then -- and even last night. So far, the most clicked on video for on demand speeches: not Rudy, not McCain, not Arnold -- Laura Bush. Never underestimate wired moms online. Pretty active bunch, and they seem to love her.

KAGAN: Interesting. How did Arnold Schwarzenegger play online?

LEWIS: Very well. Coming into last night, in a big online poll, 47 percent said they thought he could help the ticket coming out of last night. That number went up to 50 percent.

The line of the night, hands down -- they have a really neat "Rate the Quote" feature -- 82 percent gave "economic girlie-men" a thumbs up. He probably knew that coming in that it would play well.

KAGAN: Yes, it did get a big response in the hall, as well. Regina Lewis from Madison Square Garden, thank you.

Back to the vice president now. His daughter Liz is bristling over remarks by Illinois Senate Candidate Alan Keyes. The Republican Keyes had unflattering words for the other Cheney daughter, Mary, who is a lesbian and has come out as that.

Here is a portion of the interview on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" with Bill Hemmer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING": Alan Keyes -- who is here in New York, as well -- running for the Senate in Illinois referred to Mary, based on his definition about how he sees gays in America, as a selfish hedonist.

When you hear those words, how do you react?

LIZ CHENEY, DAUGHTER OF DICK CHENEY: I guess I'm surprised, frankly, that you would even repeat the quote and I'm not going to dignify it with a comment.

HEMMER: Not even -- want to touch it today?

CHENEY: It doesn't deserve a comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: All right. The vice president recently acknowledged Mary Cheney's sexual orientation publicly for first time. He admitted his differences with President Bush over the issue of gay marriage.

More to come from the convention, including a look at some of the loud, the proud, the angry, and the just plain weird. Jeanne Moos is our woman to handle that. She profiles the protesters just ahead.

But up next, say goodbye to glasses. We're opening your eyes to a remarkable new procedure that could help improve your vision. That's up next in our "Daily Dose" of health news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: News that could help some people see better is the focus of our "Daily Dose" of health news. For people with severe nearsightedness, corrective surgery, like LASIK, is not an option.

The FDA, though, is poised to approve a new procedure. And our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details on that. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Now, I know you were faking it. You have great vision.

KAGAN: Yes, I do. I do -- 20/20. I can't appreciate -- I mean, I have great sympathy for people who wear the glasses and the contacts, but I cannot appreciate what a huge pain it is.

COHEN: Well, we're going to show you some video that's going to help you appreciate it even more.

KAGAN: OK.

COHEN: Some people can't see more than six inches away from them when they wake up in the morning. Everything is a blur. And -- there you see. Oh, what are those, trees? What could they be? It's hard to tell. Is that a truck?

So, for those people, when they wake up in the morning, they can't see anything. And for many of those people, LASIK is not really an option if their vision is that bad.

So, two companies now say that they expect to receive FDA approval for something called implantable contact lenses. It's a 20- minute surgical procedure -- and you can see them there. Those are put into the eye, and then -- the whole thing, again 20 minutes. The patients walk away from the procedure. Their vision is improved almost immediately, according to companies that make these products.

And let's take a look at another way of looking at it to see how that lens...

KAGAN: Oh, that's a nice picture.

COHEN: Here's the eye, and there's the lens. It's apparently about the size of the tip of your pinky. And it slides right in there and actually clips to your iris, which is the colored part of your eye. And the reason why it needs to clip is so that it won't roll all over the place and so, that you can keep your vision.

The companies that make these two products say that this is -- people's eyesight has been corrected without halos and all of those problems. The potential risks include infections and cataracts.

KAGAN: Also, gross...

COHEN: And -- oh, there it is, the yellow thing right there. I'm sorry, Daryn -- the yellow thing right there, that's the actual lens. Right.

KAGAN: There's also the risk of grossing out people on the west coast who are eating their breakfast.

COHEN: That's right.

KAGAN: Looking at eyeball graphics. Sorry for that.

So, but -- so, does this replace LASIK?

COHEN: This would not replace LASIK, because people who have an astigmatism, they're probably going to be still better off with LASIK.

What's interesting that's happening now is that -- and here you see LASIK surgery being performed -- is that you have glasses, you have contact lenses, you have various forms of LASIK. You have now perhaps these new, implantable contact lenses. And people with different vision problems are going to do better with different kinds of tools.

And you know, some people are just happy with glasses and don't want to deal with all of this.

KAGAN: Absolutely.

COHEN: So, a lot of choices out there.

KAGAN: What about the cost of this procedure?

COHEN: High, between $3,000 and $3,500. That's the expected cost.

KAGAN: Which is about what LASIK costs, right?

COHEN: It's a little bit more than what LASIK cost. And of course, LASIK now, you see billboards for, you know, $999 or whatever. You don't necessarily want to go to that place.

But it's not covered by insurance, which is important to remember. It's considered cosmetic. So, you've got to dish out that money yourself.

KAGAN: There you go.

COHEN: And what's interesting about these lenses, too, is that you can take them back out if your prescription changes or whatever; you can take them back out and exchange them.

KAGAN: Yes, and have more stuff in your eyeball.

COHEN: That's right, coming in and out.

KAGAN: All right. Elizabeth, thank you for that.

And you can get your "Daily Dose" of health news online. We have that for you at CNN.com.

Let's go live -- this is at Madison Square Garden. Barbara and Jenna Bush, addressing a youth convention at the Republican Convention.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

JENNA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: I covered myself head from to toe in wet paper towels, hoping he would finally take me home. But we stayed to the end. Dad always supports his team until the very last pitch.

(APPLAUSE)

He sticks with his commitment, and he can take the heat, literally. That's a critical quality in a dad and in a president.

(APPLAUSE)

BARBARA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: Our dad does have so many qualities that are important in a president. He is open-minded, and he always encourages my sister and me to follow our interests and passions. Growing up, he guided us with strong values, but he also listened to us and gave us room to develop our own opinion. He has so many diverse friends from all over the country and from different political backgrounds.

Our dad is also extremely down to earth. For the last 10 years, whenever Jenna and I brought our friends home, they were meeting someone whose title was "governor" or "president." Yet in our house, to our friends he was always just our dad. He made everyone feel welcome and comfortable, except for the occasional boyfriends.

Another quality that my sister and I are perhaps all too familiar with is that our dad is extremely disciplined and always on time. This quality didn't always work to our advantage, especially when we missed from curfew.

But from running a marathon at age 45, to reading the Bible daily, to giving up his greatest passion, cheesecake, our dad has shown us the importance of living a disciplined life. When it come to making sure dad can maintain that disciplined life, he needs a little help from someone in the White House. They tried to get our grandmother, the enforcer, to move back in, but she said she was tired of the public eye. My mom definitely can't do it alone.

So this man, with the help of our famous dog, Barney, keeps our dad in line. I'm pleased to introduce a great man who has helped out our dad in countless ways the first four years, and would like to keep his job for the next four years. It is our pleasure to introduce White House chief of staff Andy Card.

(APPLAUSE)

KAGAN: Well, that was a repeat performance by Barbara and Jenna Bush, the daughters of President Bush. They introduced their father last night who introduced their mother. Today they were addressing a youth convention at the Republican National Convention.

We'll take a break. Weather and more news ahead, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to show you what took place just a few minutes ago at the Republican National Convention, at Madison Square Garden. Protesters disrupting what's taking place there, this morning. And that is a national youth convention. I think we have tape of what took place.

This was just as the Bush twins, Barbara and Jenna, were leaving the stage, protesters trying to disrupt and trying to make a statement. Not exactly clear what their statement was, other than disrupting what was taking place. They were hauled off by security rather forcibly.

And about two or three -- it looks like two or three young women taken off the floor. Apparently, we were getting word that they were AIDS activists there.

Once again, the event taking place right now is a national youth convention. And as you just saw, if you were with us live a couple minutes ago, it was the Bush twins who were addressing the young people.

All right, let's go New York City to Nashville, Tennessee. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic nominee is addressing the American Legion at national convention, the largest group of veterans in the U.S.

Let's listen in to the senator.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: ... they gave me three pieces of advice about this speech. Rule number one, absolutely no balloons.

(LAUGHTER) I said, "No problem."

Rule number two, absolutely no confetti or streamers. I said, "No problem."

Then they told me rule number three: "Keep your speech under 10 minutes." I said, "Now we got a problem."

(LAUGHTER)

Eighty-five years ago, as all of you know, the American Legion was founded by and for our nation's veterans. As one of those veterans who has benefited from your advocacy, and one of the members, I'm honored to accept this invitation to be here today.

KERRY: And I am proud of what the American Legion does every single day to advance the ideals of America. We are grateful.

You are the citizen soldiers who know that our service doesn't end in our duty station or on the battlefield; it begins there. You know that the pledge that we took to defend America is also a pledge to protect the promise that America offers.

And let there be no doubt: When I am president, you will have a fellow veteran in the White House who understands that those who fought for our country abroad should never have to fight for what they were promised back here at home.

(APPLAUSE)

In the spirit of all the men and women in uniform who we honor here, I want to be clear: As president, I will always remember that America's security begins and ends with the soldier, sailor, airmen, Marine and Coast Guardsman, with every man and woman in our armed services who has ever stood guard at the gates of freedom.

And today, I salute each and every one of you for your commitment, strength and extraordinary courage.

America says thank you, and we all join...

(APPLAUSE)

And I particularly want to say thank you, as I think many of you do -- my dad was a greatest generation vet. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1939. He was among one of the first classes that went through the Air Corps. And he was retired out because he got tuberculosis.

I was born at an Army hospital -- Fitzsimmons Army Hospital during the war in 1943.

And so, having joined with many of you in Washington at the dedication of the memorial, I think every single one of us here wants to join together in a special salute to the greatest generation veterans whose memorial finally stands proudly in an appropriate place of honor on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for your example -- extraordinary example as citizen soldiers.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: I also want to speak just for a moment directly to those who are currently risking their lives as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan and in other parts of the world.

America's prayers are with you. We honor your service and we thank you for your sacrifice and we pledge to stand with your families as you are standing with our families now.

These young men and women, as you've heard from General Myers and from others -- I had occasion to be just the other day visiting General Shalikashvili who had a stroke recently. And I was in Washington and went to the hospital and while I was there I met with some of the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan. And I've been out to Walter Reed to meet with them there, too.

They're extraordinary. Their spirits are so high. Their commitment to our country is so stunning, so deep. These young men and women are the best of America and they deserve the gratitude of our nation.

(APPLAUSE)

In March of 1919, five months after the November armistice ended the war that was to end all wars, members of the American Expeditionary Force gathered in Paris to establish our American Legion. Their cause remains our cause to this day: For God and country, we associate ourselves together.

This is not only a pledge, but it's a principle that we have carried to war and I think lived in peace. We know that with the privilege of freedom comes an obligation to give back, to serve and to risk on behalf of others. That's something that I carry in my heart and in my gut and I know that you do, too.

And while your service and sacrifice are well known, what is not as well known is how hard we fought, veterans -- how hard veterans fought after returning from service to keep faith with fellow soldiers.

After returning from Vietnam I saw vets who weren't getting the care that they needed in our hospitals.

KERRY: So we fought hard together and we got additional funding for the VA hospitals, and we got hospital care for places that weren't able to provide it.

To help those veterans who were having difficulty adjusting after the war, we founded the first medical assistance programs in the country. We put together the first ever outreach groups to help those with post-traumatic stress disorder. Others of other wars had known it. People of World War I and World War II had known what was then called shell shock, but coming out of Vietnam with all of the problems of the war and the divisions, there was a different attitude.

And so, we needed to fight as veterans to help to provide that assistance.

And I'm proud that today in the VA there are outreach centers and there's a formal recognition of PTSD.

We stood with veterans by getting the GI Bill extended, because so many of those returning had, kind of, gone underground and gotten lost and they came back after the date had come down on them and they couldn't use it. So we were able to open the doors of opportunity to vets so they could improve their lives.

We fought hard for increases in veterans' allowances for living expenses, so veterans could actually go to school and open the doors of opportunity.

And I stand here proud as I know you are proud that we kept faith together.

It was veterans fighting for veterans. We veterans made that happen and I think we should be proud of what we accomplished for our fellow service men and women.

Now, in recent weeks you've heard from some who have claimed that the job is getting done for veterans. Well, I say to you respectfully that just saying that the job is getting done doesn't make it so. My friends, let me tell you when the job will be done.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when 500,000 veterans are not excluded from the VA health system.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when we stop closing VA hospitals so that veterans don't have to struggle to find the care or travel extraordinary distances to be able to get the care that they need.

The job will be done when the government stops asking veterans for increased co-payments, increased enrollment fees, increased charges that shift the burden of care to other veterans and drive more than a million veterans out of the health care system.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when 400,000 military retirees get real, full concurrent receipt.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me tell you, this is common sense.

KERRY: I think it's in keeping the full Americanism that is at the heart and core of the charter and the oath of the Legion.

If you earned a pension, it's yours. It's just like the private sector. You worked for it, you obeyed the rules, you rose in the ranks, you got your pay grade and you got your money.

If you get a disability payment it's because you suffered something. It's a disability. And the disability is supposed to make up for the suffering.

I don't believe the government should subtract what you have suffered from what you have earned. I believe you deserve a full concurrent payment.

(APPLAUSE)

And the job will be done when there are no homeless veterans on the streets of America; when 320,000 veterans are no longer waiting for decisions on disability claims and another 100,000 are no longer waiting for appeals decisions.

The job will be done when the VA secretary doesn't have to complain publicly that he needs $1.2 billion more because he was turned down by a White House that spent the money on tax cuts for those at the top instead. I believe veterans come first.

(APPLAUSE)

The job will be done when we repeal the tax on military widows.

And mark my words: The job will be done when the family of 21- year-old Jay Breseno (ph), a veteran who is facing a lifetime of disability, when that family doesn't have to sleep at his bedside because the VA can't afford to give him round-the-clock nursing care that he needs.

That's not right. That's certainly not compassionate. And when I'm president that won't happen.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, we have a great tradition of fighting for our veterans, all of us together, and we will fight for our fellow veterans because we know that the first definition of patriotism is not talking about it, it's keeping faith with those who wore the uniform of the United States.

And from standing with John McCain to find out the truth about what happened to our POWs and MIAs in Vietnam, to personally writing the legislation that provided help and health care to the victims of Agent Orange, I'm proud of the fights that we have won for our fellow veterans.

(APPLAUSE)

At this moment, we have in place -- we as a nation -- the most exhaustive, comprehensive effort to account for the missing or captured and the most extraordinary procedures now in place in the event of war that have ever been put in place in all of the history of human warfare, and America should be proud of that.

KERRY: As president, I will lead the fight for a military family bill of rights and mandatory funding for veterans' health care.

(APPLAUSE)

I believe that that is keeping faith.

And we not only honor those who have served, but we're going to stand by those who are serving today. We are a country at war. We know that too well. The president talked about it yesterday, others are consumed by it.

We're a country at war and not only in Iraq but a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have known before. In all corners of the world our soldiers' lives are on the line. More than 150,000 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are far away from their families and thousands more are in harm's way elsewhere.

My friends in the Legion and my fellow Americans, we owe them the truth. We owe the American people the truth. And I'm here today to tell you the truth as I see it.

I can't come here and fulfill my obligation as a candidate for president of these great United States of America and not give you an honest and serious appraisal of the challenge we face in Iraq and the war on terror.

No one in the United States doubted the outcome in Iraq or how swiftly the war would be won. No one. We knew we had the best trained troops in the world and, true to form, they performed magnificently, and we are all proud and grateful.

(APPLAUSE)

But the certainty of winning the war placed the most solemn obligation on the civilian leadership of this country to make certain that we had a plan to win the peace. The Army chief of staff, General Shinseki, told Congress we would need several hundred thousand American troops to win the peace and do the job properly.

KERRY: His candor was rewarded with early retirement and his advice ignored, sending a chilling message throughout the ranks of the professional military.

By dismissing the State Department's plan for postwar Iraq and proceeding unilaterally, the civilian leadership simply did not put the mechanism in place to be able to secure the country.

They were unprepared for the looting, insecurity and insurgency that burst out with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

They failed to secure Iraq's borders and so allowed thousands of foreign terrorists, Islamist militants and intelligence agents to penetrate and destabilize postwar Iraq.

Amazingly, they had no real plan for postwar political transition.

All of this happened despite clear and precise bipartisan warnings from Congress and regional experts.

Then as the challenge grew around our troops, the civilian leadership failed to respond adequately; failed to share responsibility with NATO, the greatest alliance we've ever built; failed to share it with the U.N., which also offered assistance; failed to share reconstruction or decision-making as a way of inviting others to shoulder the burden; and failed to provide the security on the ground necessary for postwar reconstruction.

They rushed and short-changed the training and equipment of the Iraqi police. They failed to recruit enough experts in language and culture of the region and used those that they had ineffectively.

The civilian leadership made a decision to disband the Iraqi military completely, so there was no internal structure to maintain order. They chose consciously to put an American instead of an international face on the occupation; failed to prepare for a large number of prisoners; and most significantly, failed even to guard nuclear waste and ammunition storage sites, despite the fact that weapons of mass destruction was their fundamental reason for the war.

KERRY: And some of the weapons that we didn't guard are the very weapons being targeted at our troops today.

As a result, today terrorists have secured havens in Iraq that were not there before. And we have been forced to reach accommodation with those that have repeatedly attacked our troops. Violence has spread in Iraq. Iran has expand its influence and extremism has gained momentum.

Now, I know that some of these things are hard to listen to. I know that it's always tough to talk truth to power. But I think the president himself on Monday admitted that he miscalculated in Iraq.

In truth, his miscalculation was ignoring the advice that was given to him, including the best advice of America's own military.

So when the president says we have the same position on Iraq, I have to respectfully disagree. Our differences could not be plainer, and I have set them out consistently.

When it comes to Iraq it's not that I would have done one thing differently, I would have done almost everything differently.

I would have relied on American troops in Tora Bora, the best troops in the world, when we had Osama bin Laden in our sights, trapped in the mountains. I would not have sent Afghans up into those mountains who a week earlier had been fighting on the other side. I would have sent the best-trained forces in the world to get the number one criminal and terrorist in the world. (APPLAUSE)

I never would have diverted resources so quickly from Afghanistan before finishing the job. I would have given the inspectors the time they needed to do the job, not because that might have done the whole job of getting the weapons, but because by doing so we could have brought other countries to our side, which is the way you provide our troops with the best protection and the way you provide America with the greatest chance of success.

KERRY: I would have made sure that we listened to our senior military advisers.

I would have made sure that every soldier put in harm's way had state-of-the-art body armor, state-of-the-art Humvees and the equipment we needed.

I would have built a strong, broad coalition of our allies around the world because every one of you sitting here knows, no matter what -- take away party affiliation: This isn't Democrat. This isn't Republican. This isn't independent. This is just common sense. Because everyone here knows that the best way to protect the troops is to make sure not only they have the equipment, but that you're going from the maximum position of strength.

If there's one thing I learned from my service, which was a difficult time as we all know, I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace. That I think is critical.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, the bottom line, fellow Legionnaires, is this: that I don't believe we, you, have to be shouldering nearly the entire financial cost of this war -- more than $200 billion -- and short-changing investments and health care and veterans, in education, and our safety at home.

But the question now is not just what we should have done, but what we can and must now do. I don't think we need what President Bush has defined as a catastrophic success. I think we need a real success.

We need to bring our allies to our side. We need to share the burdens, the cost to the American taxpayer. We need to share the burden and reduce the risk to American soldiers. Together, we near to more rapidly train Iraqi police and military to take over the job of protecting the country.

That is what I will do as commander in chief because I'll tell you what, that's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home as fast as possible.

(APPLAUSE)

In an interview two days ago the president said, "We can't win the war on terror." I know he said something different to you yesterday, but I absolutely disagree with what he said in that interview in a moment of candor.

With the right policies, this is a war we can win. This is a war we must win and this is a war we will win because we're the can-do people and there's nothing we can't do if we put our mind and our muscle into it.

In the end, the terrorists will lose and we will win because the future does not belong to fear, it belongs to freedom.

(APPLAUSE)

Let me tell you how we're going to do that.

KERRY: To win the war on terror, we're going to add 40,000 active duty troops to our military, not in Iraq -- emphasize, not in Iraq -- but nine out of 10 of our Army divisions are now either in Iraq, going to Iraq, coming back from Iraq, getting ready to go to Iraq -- nine out of 10 -- even as Iran and North Korea get more dangerous.

Our troops are overstretched, overextended, under pressure. I intend to double our special forces to conduct anti-terrorist operations. I'm going to provide our troops with the newest weapons and the newest technology to save their lives and win the battle.

And we will end the backdoor draft of the National Guard and reservists that is taking place today.

(APPLAUSE)

Ladies and gentlemen, to win the war on terror you have to know who the terrorists are. You have to know where they are and what they're hiding and plotting. And you have to know what they're planning. And you have to be able to go get them before they get us.

Now, how do you do that? Last year I called for the creation of a national intelligence director. I believe that we should have moved earlier and more decisively to strengthen America's intelligence- gathering ability. Why? Because we need the best intelligence in the world so that policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics.

And to get that, to have the best intelligence in the world, to know where Osama bin Laden is, to know who's plotting what before they come, you've got to have the best cooperation that we've ever had from every country on this planet.

I know that we can do a better job of building that cooperation, but to do so we have to use every tool in our arsenal: our economic policy, our diplomacy, our nongovernmental organizations, our humanitarian organizations, our values and our ideals.

I will do that as president. And I am convinced that if the United States reaches out in a way that we have traditionally with the great alliances of World War I and World War II and all through our history, including the Cold War, those alliances have been the bedrock of our strength, and I believe we can do a better job of revitalizing those alliances and of taking pressure off the American taxpayer and the American troop.

Now, I want to speak today about just one other challenge.

When the troops who are fighting for us over there come home, we owe them an America where they can get the ability to plan a future, get a job that lets them get ahead; an America where military families are part of a growing middle class, not struggling to join it.

KERRY: In his 1933 address to this convention, Franklin Roosevelt said, "You men of the Legion have been willing to fight for the benefits of American life and you've been willing to live for American unity."

My friends, I believe that the full duty of the commander in chief is to lead an America where the benefits of American life are available to all who have risked their lives defending our country.

This is the 100 percent Americanism the Legion has always stood for.

(APPLAUSE)

Our citizen soldiers are hard-working, middle-class Americans who live by real American values: faith and family, service and sacrifice, responsibility and hard work. They need jobs, health care and a good education to live those values.

But for the first time since the Great Depression, America has lost jobs: 2.7 million manufacturing jobs in the last four years alone.

More than 45 million Americans don't have any health insurance at all and some 25 to 30 million don't have it for part of the year. Five million Americans have lost their health care coverage since the year 2000.

This year alone, more than 220,000 more Americans could not afford to go to college.

I believe we have an important obligation and I think you share it.

When our soldiers come home and need a job, we believe they deserve better than four more years of rewarding companies that take the jobs overseas.

(APPLAUSE)

Our plan will close the tax loopholes and actually provide new incentives to create the manufacturing jobs here in America and to increase the numbers of high-paying jobs that we need.

When our soldiers find those jobs, we believe that they deserve more than finding a job that pays on average $9,000 less than the job that we lost that goes overseas.

Our plan will create the jobs of the future that pay more, not less; jobs where after a week's work in America people can pay their bills, provide for their children, lift up the quality of their lives.

And we can do this by moving into new manufacturing techniques, by doing science and research, by pushing the curve of discovery, as we did in the 1990s when we not only paid down the debt, we not only balanced the budget, we not only cut the deficit, but we created 23 million new jobs at the same time.

And when our soldiers plan the family budget, we believe that they deserve more than four years of a government that's going deeper and deeper into debt.

Ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing conservative about building up deficits as far as the eye can see.

(APPLAUSE)

Our plan will cut the deficit in half over the course of the next four years. And we will do it by passing reforms that John McCain and I have fought for together, to end corporate welfare and by making governments stay within a budget just like you do.

(APPLAUSE)

KERRY: And when our soldiers pay their taxes, we believe that they deserve better than a fiscal policy that has actually, over the last four years, raised the tax burden on the middle class and lowered the tax burden for the wealthiest people in America.

We believe that our soldiers, when they return, deserve a tax policy for the middle class and for working families that will help them pay for health care, child care and sending a son or daughter to college, which is why we provide a $4,000 tuition tax credit to help parents be able to do it.

And when our soldiers and their families get sick, I really believe that it is part of the moral fiber of our nation, the richest nation on the face of the planet, the only industrial nation in the world not yet to do this, to understand that people deserve more than four more years of rising health care costs, unaffordable prescription drugs, skyrocketing premiums and no plan to do anything about it.

Health care costs are crushing businesses and individuals alike and it's one of the reasons so many companies are deciding to move offshore because they need to get out from under.

We have a plan to make America more competitive by getting the greed and the waste out of the system. It's not a government plan. There's no new bureaucracy. We don't order you to do anything. You choose your doctor, choose your plan. But we provide powerful incentives that people will grab a hold of and that will save the average family up to $1,000 a year in their premiums. It is the first proposal that I will send to the United States Congress next January. We will make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans.

And I intend to follow it up immediately by sending back to the Congress the flawed prescription drug bill that prohibits Medicare from actually negotiating a lower price so that you, the taxpayer, and you, the senior, can actually put money in your pockets instead of putting it into the pockets of the largest drug companies in America.

KERRY: I'm going to send that bill back and we're going to get a real Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors in our country.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, I'd just close by saying to you that I have a deep belief that the United States of America has an obligation to see to it that America is not the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't understand the truth about health care.

Senators and congressmen give themselves the best health care in the world and they give you the bill. I believe that every American's family is as important in their health care as any politician in Washington, D.C. And we're going to see to it that you get the health care you deserve.

(APPLAUSE)

My friends, 61 years ago a World War I veteran sat down on a cold December day and he thought about the 15 million men and women who would soon return victorious from the Second World War. In the middle of a war he was already thinking about what kind of America they would come home to and he dreamed about what kind of America they deserved.

A first lieutenant who had joined the Army Air Service, he probably thought about his own trip back to America after World War I; the water beneath him as the boat glided towards the land he loved after a long and tough war. He probably recalled the hope that came with his first knock on the door of a home that he'd left years ago and the look of happiness and joy and possibility on the face of a wife and faces of children that he hadn't been sure that he would see again.

And on that December 15th day, 1943, in a Washington, D.C., hotel room, this veteran who didn't forget drafted in longhand a piece of legislation that would secure that hope and that possibility for all who returned home to the land they loved.

Since its passage 60 years ago, the G.I. Bill of Rights has provided education and training for nearly 8 million Americans, housing for nearly 2 million families, and led to the creation of the great middle class that we are now trying to save.

And for all who know the ideals upon which this organization was founded, it should come as no surprise that the author of that bill was 1st Lieutenant Harry Colmery, American Legion national commander. (APPLAUSE)

KERRY: For that act and for his vision, Commander Colmery was an American hero and he deserves the Medal of Freedom that Congress has called on the president to award him.

But to truly honor his memory, we, all of us, must commit ourselves to the work of building up the great American middle class. We have to get over the divisions. We have to find a way not to have the politics that looks for the lowest common denominator, but one that reaches for the highest common denominator, one that finds it possible for people to be able to find the common ground together.

John McCain found that common ground with me when together we traveled back and I stood in his prison cell. He and I coming from very different places, but we worked together for our country to strengthen our nation.

For our soldiers, for their families, for all those hardworking Americans who are looking to build a better life, we have to pursue a path that once again places the American dream within the reach of every American citizen.

And I promise you this: If I am your next president, I will serve with the pledge of the American Legion in my heart, to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America and safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy.

Thank you and God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: And with that salute, John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, concludes more than a half hour's speech, some 35 minutes speaking before the American Legion in Nashville Tennessee, the largest group of veterans here in the United States.

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