Kerry nails one

Now this is more like it. A good, tough, smart, unabashedly patriotic speech:

As president, on my first day in office, I will send the message to every man and woman in our armed forces, this commander-in-chief will ensure that you are the best led, best equipped fighting force in the world, and you will be armed with the right weapons, schooled in the right skills and fully prepared to win on the battlefield. But you will never be sent into harm’s way without enough troops for the task or asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace. And you will never be given assignments which have not been clearly defined and for which you are not professionally trained. This administration has discarded and disrespected the advice, wisdom and experience of our professional military officers, and often ended the careers of those who dared to give their honest assessments. That is not the way to make the most solemn decisions of war and peace. As president, I will seek out, listen to, and respect the views of our experienced military leaders, and I will never let ideology trump the truth.

[snip]

Over the last year, we’ve heard from the president that our policy should be to simply stay the course. Well, one thing I learned in the Navy is that when the course you’re on is heading for the shoals, it’s pretty smart to shift the rudder. Staying the course is important. But staying the wrong course is not a sign of strength; it is a mark of stubbornness, and it ultimately weakens this nation and the world.