Officially accepting the Democratic presidential nomination last night, Sen. John Kerry made a powerful case for why he has the strength, agenda, and values to lead America in a time of war.

"I defended this country as a young man, and I will defend it as president," he said, detailing plans to rebuild international alliances and strengthen the U.S. military by adding 40,000 active-duty troops, doubling the size of the Special Forces, and ending the "backdoor draft" of the National Guard and reservists.

Kerry said he would lead a global effort against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and he would implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. He pledged: "I will fight a smarter, more effective war on terror" by deploying every tool in the U.S. arsenal -- "our economic as well as our military might, our principles as well as our firepower."

In offering a vision for national security that stood in marked contrast to the Bush administration's blustery unilateralism, Kerry said: "In these dangerous days, there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than tough words."

Kerry's progressive economic vision stood in even sharper contrast to Bush's regressive tax policies and devotion to the discredited supply-side ideas of the 1980s.

To strengthen the economy, Kerry promised new incentives to revitalize manufacturing, new investment in technology and innovation that will create good-paying jobs, and closing tax loopholes that reward companies for sending jobs overseas.

"We value an America where the middle class is not being squeezed, but doing better," Kerry said.

He proposed cutting middle-class and small-business taxes while rolling back Bush's tax cuts for people making over $200,000 per year in order to make important investments in health care, education, and job creation.

The education plan Kerry outlined would set high standards for academic achievement; demand accountability from parents, teachers, and schools; provide smaller class sizes; treat teachers like professionals; invest in early childhood development; and give tax credits for every year of college.

His plan to provide health care that's affordable and accessible for all Americans would crack down on waste, greed, and abuse in the system; save families $1,000 per year on their insurance premiums; and let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices for seniors.

And that ambitious agenda came in the context of a determination to pay for it.

"We're going to return to fiscal responsibility, because it is the foundation of our economic strength," Kerry said. He vowed to cut the deficit in half in four years by ending corporate welfare and instituting pay-as-you-go budget rules.

Despite the lofty challenges facing the country, Kerry's message was infused with optimism. "Let's not forget what we did in the 1990s," he said: "We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty. And we lifted the standard of living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves and we can do it again."

The message was also firmly grounded in faith and basic American values. "I don't wear my religion on my sleeve," he said, "but faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday."

He said: "We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as values, but the shared values that show the true face of America; not narrow values that divide us, but the shared values that unite us: family, faith, hard work, opportunity and responsibility for all, so that every child, every adult, every parent, every worker in America has an equal shot at living up to their God-given potential."

Kerry invited President Bush to make the fall campaign a contest of big ideas, and he signaled his desire to rise above partisanship by recalling the nation's unity after 9/11, and indicating that his administration would include both Democrats and Republicans.

The night capped a strong week for Democrats, not just because of the unity the party it demonstrated, or the powerful speeches by some of its brightest stars, but because the positive tone and detailed agenda Democrats have offered gives America a welcome alternative to the bitter, partisan, and negative tone of the Bush campaign so far.

A positive campaign based on big ideas is a tough thing to run. But as Kerry said last night, "My friends, the high road may be harder, but it leads to a better place."