Up to now, I’ve written nothing in support of John Kerry. Up to now, I’ve seen no reason to do so.

Craig Cheslog, writing over at Political Parrhesia, notes some of his favorite lines from John Kerry’s acceptance speech last night. (As further proof of the fact that I’ve not heretofore been very impressed with John Kerry, I didn’t even watch the speech. In fact, I’ve watched exactly one speech so far — I think it was Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan — which, I admit, was impressive.) After reading Cheslog’s post, I’m sorry I missed the speech.

Here’s what Cheslog liked about it:

A positive message, a needed critique of the Bush Administration, and a roadmap for the future.

Here are [Cheslog’s] favorite lines from the speech:

• We have it in our power to change the world, but only if we’re true to our ideals. And that starts by telling the truth to the American people.
• I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war.

  I will have a vice president who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws.

  I will have a secretary of defense who will listen to the best advice of the military leaders.

  And I will appoint an attorney general who will uphold the Constitution of the United States.

• Now, I know there that are those who criticize me for seeing complexities — and I do — because some issues just aren’t all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn’t make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn’t make it so. And proclaiming “Mission accomplished” certainly doesn’t make it so.
• And as president, I will bring back this nation’s time-honored tradition: The United States of America never goes to war because we want to; we only go to war because we have to. That is the standard of our nation.
• And I will build a stronger military. We will add 40,000 active duty troops, not in Iraq, but to strengthen American forces that are now overstretched, overextended and under pressure.

  We will double our Special Forces to conduct terrorist operations, anti-terrorist operations, and we will provide our troops with the newest weapons and technology to save their lives and win the battle. And we will end the backdoor draft of the National Guard and reservists.

• In these dangerous days, there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than tough words.
• Today, our national security begins with homeland security. The 9/11 commission has given us a path to follow, endorsed by Democrats, Republicans and the 9/11 families. As president, I will not evade or equivocate; I will immediately implement all the recommendations of that commission.
• We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism.
• That flag doesn’t belong to any president. It doesn’t belong to any ideology. It doesn’t belong to any party. It belongs to all the American people.
• We value an America that controls its own destiny because it’s finally and forever independent of Mideast oil. What does it mean for our economy and our national security when we have only 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves, yet we rely on foreign countries for 53 percent of what we consume?

  I want an America that relies on its ingenuity and innovation, not the Saudi royal family.

  And our energy plan for a stronger America — our energy plan will invest in new technologies and alternative fuels and the cars of the future, so that no young American in uniform will ever be held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

• I don’t want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side.
• What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem-cell research and treat illness for millions of lives?

Yes. What if.

On all of those points.

Well, this triggers my first blog entry that might be considered pro-Kerry. If this is Kerry’s real platform and if I can find a reason to believe it, then perhaps I can retract something I said the other day. Perhaps our choice isn’t between Satan and the Anti-christ. Perhaps we really do have a choice between a government owned and operated by Big Business and a government that represents the interests of the people — all people.