Mr. Kerry began his day by calling in to Don Imus's radio show and talking at length about the war in Iraq.

As Mr. Kerry began pointing out last week, the president's handling of the two wars - and they are distinct - has been an unmitigated disaster.

He said that Mr. Kerry had begun laying out his plans for the future .

Mr. Kerry has finally begun to fight back and put the focus on Iraq instead of Vietnam.

Mr. Kerry began his day with prayer, and he spied good luck charms at every stop.

Still, Mr. Kerry has only begun to be tested on the national stage.

Mr. Kerry has already begun to lay the groundwork for a reform-minded campaign, with plans to control health care costs, close corporate loopholes and increase lobbyist disclosure.

Mr. Kerry has begun to seize on those reports to try to undercut Mr. Bush on the subject.

It was in the turn of a phrase, when Mr. Kerry began talking in July about a "preparedness gap" in domestic security.

Mr. Kerry this week is beginning a series of speeches in which he will lay out some of his most detailed foreign policy pronouncements.