Opinion: Can Kerry Bring the US and Europe Back Together?

For four days the US Democrats in Boston have been working their hardest to sell John Kerry as the man that America wants, needs and can have. And they -- both the candidate himself and the party elite -- have done so with the conspicuous absence of pointed anti-Bush rhetoric, even though the drive to oust the president from office is the strongest glue to have united the party in a long time.

Come the elections on November 2, it will be the undecided voters in the key states and from the political center, who will decide, and now is the time to win them over with a positive message. With this in mind, the Democrats in Boston presented themselves as guardians of the the old American ideals, as a regenerative strength which would both close the divide on home ground and win back America's tarred international reputation.

They did everything they could to present John Kerry as an experienced politician, a high- principled soul, and a man who knows how to protect America effectively. The latter is crucial to the American electorate, which lives in fear of suffering an historic defeat in the fight against terrorism.

Vietnam hero

Kerry's supporters and fellow Democrats doused him in glory, touting him as hero of the Vietnam war, a selfless savior and a courageous leader. The praise was designed to serve as a contrast to the alleged slacker, George W Bush, whose service in the military home reserves is inadequately documented.

This overemphasis of the presidential candidate as commander-in-chief, who as supreme commander of the US forces, would unquestionably rise to the challenge, takes its relevance from September 11th, a defining moment in America's recent history.

Simultaneously, Kerry reflects the desperate efforts on the part of the Democrats, to compensate for the gaps in President Bush's and the Republicans' policies on national security. Some of these verbal attempts were so brash, that they left a nasty taste among some European observers, as did the overall circus and show character of the whole event.

Vague policies

The party conference also served to dash any premature hopes that as President, John Kerry would return America to a "gentle power", silencing its military might in favor of strengthened diplomacy and international understanding - even if Kerry did make a point of stressing that he would help lead America back to a more international image. But over and above this, many of Kerry's policies remained vague. How is he planning to dry up the quagmire of Iraq, how is he planning to get North Korea and Iran to give up on their nuclear policies?

The old standard-bearer of the Democratic Party's leftwing, Senator Ted Kennedy, cut to the chase, when he said that the only thing the Democrats fear is another four years of George W Bush in the White House. As far as the Democrats are concerned, a second term under the current President has to be avoided at all costs, and laying down the line on foreign policy issues won't help the cause.

So instead, Kerry and his running mate John Edwards sold themselves as the social conscience of the nation, and their followers came flocking. But whether this act will be powerful enough to prevent Bush from laying down his cap for another four years, is highly questionable. When in doubt, voters will be more easily swayed back to the devil they know than convinced into supporting his diluted double.