The world was waiting to see what US voters would do in tomorrow's Presidential election, the Democratic candidate, Senator John Kerry said at an open-air rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, yesterday.
In one of his final speeches before polling, Mr Kerry said "the hopes of a nation (are) on the line". The crowd shouted its agreement when he asked them, "Are you ready to put common sense back into the leadership of this nation?" Supporters held placards stating "Two more days" and Mr Kerry commented: "I can't wait till I see 'One' tomorrow and 'Zero' on Tuesday and then we can roll up our sleeves and get to work for America."
Describing the electoral process as "beautiful" he said: "All of the world will be looking to see what you do and what we do as Americans." Describing the US as "the country that lifts people up", he added that, "The world is waiting for us to lead again."
He expressed his appreciation for the support of Senator George Mitchell who stood beside him on the platform. Mr Kerry reminded the crowd that Senator Mitchell, who chaired the Good Friday peace negotiations, was the man "who helped make peace in Ireland". Representatives of the Boston Red Sox baseball team were present and Mr Kerry made much of the fact that they had just won the World Series for the first time in 86 years which he saw as a good omen for his candidacy.
On the Iraq War, Mr Kerry said that, as President, he would "look the American people in the eye and tell them the truth". The crowd chanted: "No more lies." Mr Kerry said he had been 20 years in the Senate and had "more experience than the current president" To resolve the Iraqi crisis he would "bring allies to the table". He added: "Just because George Bush can't do it, doesn't mean it can't be done." He added: "I defended this country out of my own free will as a young man and I will defend it as president."
Speaking earlier, Senator Mitchell said his former Senate colleague, Mr Kerry, had been "a strong and effective senator and he will be a strong and effective president". He added: "It is one of the great ironies of this election year that American power is the greatest it has ever been, yet America's standing in the world is the lowest it has ever been. The Bush administration has squandered the moral authority of the United States."
Well-known also for his interest in the Northern Ireland peace process, Congressman Richie Neale from Springfield, Massachusetts, quipped that the slogan of the Bush administration with its penchant for cutting taxes on the wealthy was, "We're rich and we're not gonna take it any more." He complained, "We are fighting two wars (in Afghanistan and Iraq) with four tax-cuts." Mr Bush's four years in office had been "an angry season" in Washington.
The challenger, Mr Kerry, was hot on the heels of the President George W. Bush, who spoke in Manchester only last Friday. Where Bush went for an indoor ice-hockey arena, his Democratic opponent was braving the great outdoors. Not famed for punctuality, the Kerry entourage was three hours late and to pass the time the crowd ate hot dogs and listened to pop musician Bruce Hornsby, singing, There's Gonna Be Some Changes Made.
Mr Bush may consider Mr Kerry a formidable opponent but he should meet Ms Doris Haddock, better known as "Granny D". Said to be touching 90, she is a candidate for the State Senate in New Hampshire and has been walking through the state to garner support.
Others on the platform were mainly impromptu, but Granny D read her speech in the old-fashioned way. She dismissed the president as "this mean-spirited little boy". She predicted that, after tomorrow's vote, "We get the adults back".
Harking back to a period that was even more challenging than the current one for Americans, during the second World War, she recalled sitting around the wireless set at home and listening to then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declaring "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."