Democratic Presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, left, with his running mate Senator John Edwards at the Democratic National Convention in Boston on July 29. (Photo: AFP)

During the Clinton administration, I had the privilege to work on U.S.-India relations with President Clinton and his Secretary of Commerce and former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ronald H. Brown. Before his tragic death, Ron used to remind Indian-American audiences that America’s strength is in its diversity. John Kerry believes in strength through diversity and will work with the Indian-American community to make the United States stronger at home and respected abroad. This is the most important election of my lifetime. It is a time for Indian-Americans to give back to this country by helping to replace George W. Bush and his disastrous foreign and domestic policies with an administration led by John Kerry.

I know that John Kerry is a friend of India and Indian Americans –– not just on a personal basis but on the issues of most importance to the community. His record shows that. John Kerry stood up for India long before he sought the presidency.

Based on his personal experience, including two visits to India and 19 years of service on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Kerry stated his personal conviction in a February 2001 speech on the Senate floor that the United States and India are “natural allies.” He also called for a removal of nuclear sanctions imposed on India concerning loans from international financial institutions, well before the Bush Administration took steps to eliminate these sanctions –– and was one of the leaders of the effort when Congress succeeded in lifting the sanctions in September 2001.

A Kerry/Edwards Administration will recognize the importance of the global role India will play in the 21st century, and will deal with India and Indians accordingly. The Kerry/Edwards foreign policy is built on the concepts of mutual respect and multilateral leadership, and rejects the unilateral military, “our way or the highway” approach that has characterized the Bush/ Cheney Administration.

In regard to India, a Kerry/Edwards Administration will never show the lack of respect that Bush/Cheney has demonstrated through such mistakes as (1) declaring Pakistan a major Non-NATO Ally without even informing India, (2) harassing the Indian minister of defense at the time of his arrival in the U.S., and (3) failing to fulfill President Bush’s promise to visit India, even though he has visited virtually every other major power in the world.

The only two American Presidents in modern political life who have visited India are Democrats –– Bill Clinton in 2000 and Jimmy Carter in 1978. John Kerry hopes to be the third. John Kerry is a defender of the civil liberties of Indian Americans and all our citizens against the extremes of the Bush/ Ashcroft misadministration of justice.

John Kerry says, “I am deeply concerned that the Bush/Ashcroft Justice Department has thrown basic civil liberties out the window in their efforts to make Americans feel safer. I favor giving law enforcement the tools it needs to prevent, investigate, and prosecute terrorism, but I also favor assuring that there is appropriate court and congressional oversight over the use of these powerful tools. I do not trust John Ashcroft to protect our civil liberties... I oppose measures which merely harass and make legitimate international travel difficult for people who wish to come to this country to learn or work.”

Senator Kerry has co-sponsored federal hate crimes legislation which would criminalize serious offenses committed because of, among other things, the victim’s religious or ethnic affiliations.

John Kerry is a champion of economic growth and for a U.S. economic and trade policy that works for America and works for the world. Bush’s job-loss economy is hurting America and the world. Young Indian Americans often cannot find a decent job and Indian-American enterprises, whether they be in high tech, medical care, hotels, or other fields, have all felt the sting of the Bush mismanaged economy.

The Kerry/Edwards proposals on outsourcing are a matter of tax fairness in closing the tax deferral loophole. Revenue gains from closing

the loophole will be applied to cutting the corporate income tax across the board by 5 percent.

John Kerry recognizes that the issue of medical malpractice insurance affects the over 35,000 Indian American physicians, their patients, and all Americans. John Kerry says, “… the current system is fundamentally flawed and must be reformed. We need a system to weed out lawsuits without merit and save money, and those savings should go to reduce the cost of malpractice insurance for health care providers.”

John Kerry will continue the Democratic Party’s tradition of political opportunities for Indian Americans. The first Indian American to be elected to Congress was a Democrat –– the Honorable Dalip Singh Saund. The first Indian American to be appointed by the president to the sub-cabinet was a Democrat appointed by President Clinton –– the Honorable Isi Siddiqui, under-secretary of agriculture. President Clinton appointed Professor Rajaen Anand as head of the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Aarti Prabhakar as the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and had four Indian Americans on his White House Staff –– Nishith Acharaya, Rejha Chalasani, Satish Narayanan and Yusef Khapra.

The first Asian-American appointed to the cabinet and confirmed by the Senate was a Democrat –– the Honorable Norm Mineta. Other Indian Americans appointed in the Clinton Administration include Sharon Singh, USDA; Nisha Desai, USDA; David Jhirad, Energy; Amit Pandya, Department of Defense and USAID; Nitin Madhav, USAID; and Esther Benjamin, Labor. The first Diwali proclamation from the White House came from President Clinton. The Democratic National Committee has set up the first Leadership Council specifically for Indian-Americans.

Thus, the record of Democrats in regard to political opportunities for Indian-Americans is clear and pre-dates the efforts of Republicans to involve Indian Americans in their politics. But there is more to be done and John Kerry will shape an administration that reflects the growing importance of Indian Americans in all phases of our national life.

(The writer is a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce)