HAMPTON, N.H. -- It certainly wasn't the oath Senator John F. Kerry imagined himself taking when he crisscrossed New Hampshire in pursuit of the presidency two years ago.  But there was Kerry yesterday, raising his right hand and standing proudly beside his wife as he vowed his allegiance to the ''Royal Society Bridge Club." Based at the Widow Fletcher's Tavern in Hampton, the group has an unofficial motto: ''No hanging around -- only buying a round."

''I . . . pledge to my comrades that I will never use my membership to influence Supreme Court judges, restaurant maitre d's, or voters whose IQ nearly equals their age," Kerry said with a smile as he partook of the political rite of passage.

The Massachusetts Democrat was back in the home of the nation's first presidential primary for the most extensive political trip he has made to the Granite State since he lost the 2004 election.  It marked a public reemergence on the presidential scene for Kerry, who is considering another run in 2008.  The intimate settings and quaint political rituals were a reminder of the difficulties he'll face if he runs again.

The day triggered fond memories for Kerry -- he said being back got his ''juices flowing," and he greeted old supporters with bear hugs -- and he expressed a touch of nostalgia for the close race he lost.  ''You did absolutely everything you could do, except move to Ohio," Kerry told about 75 supporters in Hampton.

Kerry didn't shy away from partisan swipes.  At two fund-raising events for state senators, he accused Republicans of making Washington ''dysfunctional" and blasted the Bush administration for its handling of Hurricane Katrina and the Dubai ports deal, and for failing to capture Osama bin Laden.

Last night, at a dinner for local Democratic committees in Nashua, Kerry accused President Bush of ''cluelessness" and ''incompetence," and said Democrats are proud to lead on issues such as energy independence, bringing home troops from Iraq, and cleaning up government.  ''It's the Katrina administration," Kerry said, saying that the botched response to the hurricane removed the ''veneer" of competent leadership. ''It is time to say we're fed up with the incompetence. We're tired of the lies."

Kerry was greeted warmly in New Hampshire, if not by overwhelming crowds.

The fund-raisers he held for state Senate candidates brought out Democratic loyalists who said they were happy to pay tribute to the party's 2004 standard-bearer.