The Crystal Ball notes, however, that Kerry refused to tout his Senate record. "Why would he? His National Journal ranking puts him so far to the left he makes Ted Kennedy look like a moderate."

Still, the Democrats' abuse of campaign finance "reform" and exploitation of rich, supposedly independent Bush-hating groups lets Kerry appear to take "the high road in the campaign."

The pro-Democrat Post, however, complained that "though Mr. Kerry spoke confidently and eloquently, his speech was in many respects a disappointment. ... he chose words that seemed designed to give the impression that he could engineer a quick and painless exit" from Iraq.

"His promises to stop the outsourcing of jobs and end dependence on Middle East oil are not grounded in reality," the Post noted.

The extremely pro-Democrat New York Times said Kerry "did a good job of explaining how he'd fight the war on terror" but was exploiting his "few months in service overseas." Worse: "He did not provide a clear vision on Iraq."

Editor's note: