The Honorable Mark Udall's Speech Before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, July 29, 2004

/EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UPON DELIVERY OF SPEECH, SCHEDULED FOR 6:28 P.M. EDT TODAY, JULY 29/

BOSTON, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of the Honorable Mark Udall's Speech before the Democratic National Convention:

Tonight, I can't help but think of my family and the examples of my father, Mo Udall, and my uncle Stewart Udall.

They were public servants who believed you could make a difference -- as their friend, Senator McCain has said -- by dedicating yourself to a cause greater than your own self-interest.

As Westerners, they found inspiration in the great natural beauty of our country, and their cause -- among many -- was to champion the environment.

They reminded us that we haven't inherited God's earth from our parents, we are borrowing it from our children.  And they were committed, as we must be, to paying the balance in full, with interest, to our children.

I stand here, as do many of you, inspired by their example of integrity, civility, humility-and, of course, humor.

But I also stand here with a hole in my heart because Mo's last years were stolen from him by Parkinson's disease.

We were all moved by Ron Reagan's words on Tuesday night.  It's personal for him and his family, as it is for me, and millions of other families, who daily watch loved ones battle illnesses like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Mo Udall and Ronald Reagan were famous adversaries, but they remained friends.  Both were felled by a terrible illness, but both men practiced politics that aimed at the best in human nature.

The attacks of September 11 were motivated by the worst in human nature, but in the aftermath of this tragedy, our nation was united as never before. In three short years, we lost that unity and now we all hunger for a leader who will bring us together.

John Kerry will be that leader.

Twenty-four years ago, my father brought our party together with a keynote address that stressed our unity as Americans.  Be he didn't shrink from pointing out that our country has challenges.  Often, my dad used humor, never to humiliate, but to remind us that if you laugh together you can work together.

He told a story that is still relevant today.  On the campaign trail, someone posted a sign in their window that ought to be our credo -- our call to action -- in this election and beyond.  It read, "America ain't perfect ... but we're not done yet!"

Source: Democratic National Convention Committee

CONTACT:  Peggy Wilhide of the Democratic National Convention Committee,
+1-617-366-3100

Web site:  http://www.dems2004.org/