Sentence:  The Vienna meeting will bring together a seasoned , 67 - year-old veteran of the cold war who , in Mr. Kennedy 's own words , <WSD>is</WSD> `` shrewd , tough , vigorous , well-informed and confident '' , and a 44 - year-old President ( his birthday is May 29 ) with a demonstrated capacity for political battle but little experience in international diplomacy . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)