Although not his official announcement, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he's taking the first step toward running for president in 2004. Kerry, a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran and former prosecutor, has said for the past year he's been thinking seriously about it.

Kerry said ``there is a better choice for the nation'' on issues such as the economy, the needs of middle-class Americans, the environment and the U.S. role in the world.

In Congress, Kerry has been outspoken regarding those choices, speaking out against U.S. dependency on foreign oil and battling for a better climate for small businesses. Last year, Kerry stepped up to bat for truckers, introducing OOIDA's fuel surcharge legislation (S.1914) in the Senate.

Kerry is a graduate of Yale University. After graduating, as a Navy officer, he served on a gunboat in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. He received a Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in combat. When he returned home, he became a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War.

He worked as a lawyer and prosecutor in Massachusetts before being elected lieutenant governor in 1982. In 1984, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, running the nation's first successful PAC-free Senate race. It's been Kerry's policy not to take money from political action committees representing corporations, labor unions and interest groups.

Kerry is married to ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz. He lives in Boston.