As an elected delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention, I was proud to be part of a unified party that nominated John Kerry for president of the United States. I have known John Kerry since 1973 when we were classmates at Boston College Law School. We were colleagues over a nine-year period, during which time John went from law student to prosecutor to lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. John is the same person now as he was back then – a person of character who is honest and able to work well under pressure and who possesses a strong intellect and good heart. Throughout his 30-year career in public service, he has acquired the experience and wisdom necessary to make us stronger and safer here at home and abroad and to restore our country’s standing with the international community. For these reasons and more, I sought out the distinction of being a Kerry delegate last March in the Illinois primary.

The convention had an exceptionally electric atmosphere. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton introduced Bill Clinton as the “last great American president” and referred to Kerry as the next one. President Clinton noted that when the Vietnam War began to escalate, he didn’t go. President Bush and Vice President Cheney didn’t go. But John Kerry stepped up and said: “Send me.” When we needed patrol boats to draw the enemy, John Kerry said: “Send me.” When the senate needed to investigate POWs, MIAs and make peace with Vietnam, John Kerry said: “Send me.” And now that we need a commander in chief, John Kerry is saying (and all the delegates joined in): “Send me.”

The next evening featured three speakers hailing from Illinois: Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, Sen. Dick Durbin and the keynote speaker Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama. Obama stepped onto the national stage and mesmerized the crowd with his passionate address. Obama recited his personal American dream – the son of a Kenyan goat herder who became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review and now is an Illinois state senator running for the U.S. Senate. His campaign buttons were a hot commodity in Boston; they now sell for upward of $30 on eBay!

When Sen. John Edwards accepted the nomination for vice president, he proclaimed that “hope is on the way” and that we can create “one America” together.

The stage was set Thursday night when Kerry’s daughters, Vanessa and Alexandra, introduced us to their father as they know him. As the entire convention community stood and cheered, Kerry came charging through the delegates, took the stage and declared with a salute: “I’m John Kerry, and I’m reporting for duty!” Kerry quipped that he had been born in the “West Wing” of a military hospital as he accepted the Democratic nomination for president. He recalled fighting for his country in Vietnam and that he’s been fighting for America ever since. He has seen our soldiers killed or wounded in battle and promised that “we would never send troops because we wanted to, but only when we had to.” He set out his agenda for jobs, healthcare, taxes, education and for valuing families. He vowed to win the peace in Iraq, cut the record deficits and stop the export of jobs overseas. Kerry appealed to Bush to run a positive and civil campaign. He proclaimed that the future belongs to freedom and not fear.

Delegates left Boston to return home unified, determined and dedicated to work back in their home states for the election of John Kerry and John Edwards. I urge everyone to register and vote this November. This election is indeed the most important one of our lifetime. The Democratic Party will fight tirelessly for America. In January, I hope to call my friend John Kerry “Mr. President.”

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.