Tonight we begin to face the challenge of 2004. How we as Democrats respond to this challenge will have a lasting impact on America as we know it. Much is at stake.

Reproductive rights for women can be lost with the change of but one Supreme Court justice. An economic future of prosperity and dignity for working people already appears lost to many. Much of the environment has been sold to corporate America; after 2004, an elected George W. Bush will complete the delivery. America's position as a world leader, not dominator, depends on changing the view that allies don't matter unless they agree with us on every issue. Our security as a free nation, if we alone are prosperous in a sea of poverty, is greatly at risk.

There is much to bash this Administration about. It is easy to pile on. Still, if we Democrats are to maintain our honorable reputation, we must be a party of solutions. Americans are bright enough to know how we have gotten to this point. It is our job to show how we bring America back.

When I am your candidate for Congress that will be my message.

There is no question that this District has been battered by job losses, farming declines and stagnation in real wages. But I will not run a campaign whose primary rhythm is the steady loss of jobs brought about by shortsighted trade policies. I will work to create a vision that will lead to long term economic viability, supported by the Federal dollars promised to communities shattered by NAFTA.

Our health care system is heading for a train wreck. We are already the most costly in the world. Yet, we are failing to deliver adequate care to millions of Americans, and the strains this failure creates endanger health care for all of us -- insured and uninsured alike. I will run a campaign that talks frankly about the great pressures on medical care we are facing and one that seeks to know what people want for the future.

We are engaged in a war in Iraq from which there seems to be no simple exit. This is a war of choice, poorly planned, whose long range political cost, in the shattering of traditional alliances, may be greater than the dollar cost of rebuilding an Iraq without Saddam. But I will not run a campaign whose primary rhythm depends on the daily drum beat of combat deaths and casualties. Democrats must offer a way out that allows America's military presence for good to remain intact. Our traditional allies understand the need for America's power in a world threatened by dangers unforeseen but ten years ago. Let us reach out--"humbly" as the President once promised -- and allow them to help.

Democrats offer a choice. Ours is a message of community, the opposition's one of division. We already know that Republicans will wage a well financed campaign keyed to tears in the social fabric. In the 5th District of Virginia, however, Democrats will win when we seek to unite our communities for a better life for our children, a secure old age for our parents, and the promise of opportunity for all.

It starts tonight, in this room, with you gathered here. We must not falter, nor turn from the challenge ahead. History will judge how we in this nook of Virginia understood that 2004 is a watershed for America. We have the chance to be able to tell our children and grandchildren -- as our parents and grandparents had after 1932 and 1940-- "Democrats understood the crisis and brought Americans together for the good of the nation."

I seek your support in the task before us.