Kerry message starts to break through

A recent New York Times poll indicated Kerry is leading the race 46 percent to 44 percent, but it also indicated that 61 percent of respondents thought he was telling them what they wanted to hear, not what he believed.

Yet in recent days, there has been evidence that Kerry is not only finding a message, but also an audience. In an address to the Democratic Leadership Council, which prides itself as the party's centrist core, the Massachusetts senator delivered a stinging indictment of the administration's leadership and said that in contrast to Bush, he has been developing plans to deal with major issues confronting Americans. These include ways to expand health care to all Americans, strengthen the economy through public works and tax reform, and improve public education by increasing teacher pay and accountability.

''In the year 2000, when John McCain had him on the run, George Bush made up a slogan, 'Reformer With Results.' And four years later, Americans are still waiting to see the reform, but I'll tell you this: They've had enough of the results," Kerry said to the group in Phoenix.