GORE ACCEPTS DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION   

Vice President Al Gore presented his case to be the next president of the United States in a speech to the concluding session of the Democratic National Convention on August 17 in Los Angeles, that stressed a more just nation as well as a more prosperous one.

"Tonight, I ask for your support on the basis of the better, fairer, more prosperous America we can build together," he declared in formally accepting the Democratic nomination.

In a speech that was heavy on specifics, he made it clear he was proud of the Clinton-Gore record of the last eight years, saying, "Instead of the biggest deficits in history, we now have the biggest surpluses ever. And the lowest inflation in a generation. Instead of losing jobs, we have 22 million new jobs." He paid tribute to the "job that's been done by Bill Clinton."

But Gore also made it clear that the nation can do even better. "For all our good times, I am not satisfied," he said. "The future should belong to everyone in this land. We could squander this moment, but our country would be the poorer for it. Instead, let's lift our eyes, and see how wide the American horizon has become."

Towards the end of his speech, Gore briefly discussed foreign policy. He mentioned that he "broke with many in our party" to support the Gulf War, and that early in his public service, "I took up the issue of nuclear arms control and nuclear weapons because nothing is more fundamental than protecting our national security." He assured voters that "I will keep America's defenses strong. I will make sure our armed forces continue to be the best-equipped, best-trained and best-led in the entire world."

He also said he would "defend our enduring interests -- from Europe to the Middle East, to Japan and Korea" and "strengthen our partnerships with Africa, Latin America and the rest of the developing world." He said he welcomed free trade, but wants fair trade.

But by far the majority of the speech was devoted to the specifics of his policies. He presented a detailed list:

-- "A prescription drug benefit for all seniors under Medicare."

-- "A real enforceable Patient's Bill of Rights."

-- A campaign finance reform bill, which "will be the very first bill that Joe Lieberman and I send to Congress."

-- The saving and strengthening of Social Security and Medicare "not only for this generation but for generations to come." He also said he would put Social Security and Medicare in "an iron-clad lock box where the politicians can't touch them."

-- "Affordable health care for all" and moving "toward universal health care coverage, step by step, starting with all children" by the year 2004.

-- "The single greatest commitment to education since the G.I. Bill" (military veterans benefits) and "higher standards and more accountability." He also said he would oppose any plan "that would drain taxpayer money away from our public schools and give it to private schools in the form of vouchers."

-- A "full range of targeted tax cuts to working families." He also said he would reform the estate tax and put an "end to the marriage penalty, the right way, the fair way," and raise the minimum wage.

-- A "crime victims' bill of rights, including a constitutional amendment to make sure that victims, and not just criminals, are guaranteed rights."

-- "Mandatory background checks to keep guns away from criminals, and mandatory child safety locks to protect our children."

Tipper Gore, the vice president's wife, introduced the nominee, calling him "a decisive leader with strong values, deeply held convictions and an unwavering commitment to making the American dream a reality." She added: "But I also want you to know that as a husband, father and grandfather, Al has always been there for our family, and he will always be there for yours."

Earlier, people who have known Gore personally through the years discussed his childhood, college years, service in Vietnam and career in public service. A short video depicting Gore in a relaxed setting with his family was produced and completed earlier this week, but it was shown to the delegates on the previous day, outside of the prime-time schedule.

At the State Department's Foreign Press Center at the convention that day, former Senator James Sasser, former U.S. ambassador to China and an advisor to Gore, discussed foreign policy in a Gore administration if the vice president is elected in November. Gore is a "committed internationalist," whom, Sasser predicted, will be "more interested and focused on international affairs than President Clinton was when he came to office," the ambassador said.

He said this is because Clinton had been a governor before being elected president with no foreign policy experience, whereas Gore's experience is "much broader than that."

The watchword of a Gore foreign policy would be "forward engagement," said Sasser, which he defined as "preventive diplomacy." A Gore administration "will act early through diplomatic channels" to nip crises in the bud, he added. He also said Gore would "reach out to old enemies" and "renew old friendships" with U.S. allies.

On August 16, in a speech that was heavy on biography as well as issues, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, the Democrats' nominee to be vice president of the United States, urged Americans to vote Democratic this November, saying, "I will work my heart out to make sure Al Gore is the next president of the United States." He praised the vice president as "a man of courage and conviction."

"Forty years ago, we came to this city and crossed a new frontier," said Lieberman. "Today we return to this same great city with prosperity at home, and freedom throughout the world that John F. Kennedy could have only dreamed about." He continued, "We may wonder where the next frontier really is. I believe that the next frontier isn't just in front of us, but inside of us -- to overcome the differences that are still between us, to break down the barriers that remain, and to help every American claim the limitless possibilities of our own lives."

Lieberman broadly discussed the issues Democrats are raising in this campaign, such as education, the environment, health care, Social Security, how to use the nation's budget surplus and campaign finance reform -- drawing a contrast with the Republican positions. Echoing Gore, he said, "It's not just the size of our national feast that is important, but the number of people who can sit round the table. There must be room for everybody."

In a short reference to foreign policy, Lieberman said he and Gore had "crossed party lines to support the Gulf War." The vice presidential nominee added: "I was there in the room when he forcefully argued that America's principles and interests were at stake in Bosnia and Kosovo." Brushing aside Republican criticism of the condition of the U.S. military, Lieberman said, "Our fighting men and women are the best-trained, best-equipped, most powerful fighting force in the history of the world, and they will stay that way when Al Gore and I are elected."

Few Americans knew much about Lieberman before he was selected as the Democrats' vice presidential nominee. In his speech, he told Americans about his working class and immigrant roots -- his grandmother came from Central Europe -- and how he became "the first person in my family to graduate college." He also discussed his role as the "people's lawyer," while Connecticut's attorney general. "You know what, we even sued oil companies who were trying to gouge consumers at the pump," he told the delegates.

He made a point of stressing his commitment to civil rights. "In the early 1960s, when I was a college student, I walked with Martin Luther King in the March on Washington," he said. "I went to Mississippi where we worked to register African Americans to vote," he added. "In my life, I have tried to see the world through the eyes of those who have suffered discrimination," Lieberman continued. "The time has come to tear down the remaining walls of discrimination based on race, gender and sexual orientation."

Lieberman was introduced by his wife Hadassah, who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. "For Joe, family, faith, neighborhood, congregation and community are the guideposts of his life," she remarked. "Community keeps Joe grounded and reminds him of his commitment to respectful living," she added.