BOSTON — Former President Clinton stirred the opening night of the Democratic National Convention Monday with a summons to send John Kerry to the White House, attacking President Bush for pursuing policies that divide the nation.

"Strength and wisdom are not opposing values," Clinton said sarcastically of the man who followed him into office.

"They need a divided America, but we don't," the former president said of the Republicans who have held power for four years.

The 42nd president was the cleanup speaker for the night, joining a parade of party elders to the podium for oratory designed to depict Kerry as a Vietnam War hero — and George W. Bush as a chief executive who has botched the economy as well as the war on terror.

The Massachusetts senator "will lead the world, not alienate it. Lower the deficit, not raise it. Create good jobs, not lose them. Solve a health care crisis, not ignore it," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in her turn at the podium.

The party's 44th national convention opened under extraordinarily tight security as Kerry campaigned in Florida. In a battleground state he has visited more than a half-dozen times this year, he urged Republicans and independents to "stop and think" before casting their votes in November.

With the Kerry campaign choreographing the proceedings to the minute, the famous and the nationally unknown were put in service for the Massachusetts senator's White House bid.

"When policies are clearly not working, we can change them. If our leaders make mistakes, we can hold them accountable — even if they never admit their mistakes," said Al Gore, who lost the 2000 election despite winning the popular vote.

"Lt. Kerry was known for taking the fight to the enemy," said the Rev. David Alston, who served on a Vietnam swiftboat commanded by Kerry a generation ago. He brought the delegates to their feet when he called the senator "my former skipper, my friend and our next commander in chief."

Clinton was buffeted by charges of dodging the draft throughout his 1992 campaign and presidency, and in a moment of self-criticism made the point that Kerry volunteered for the Southeast Asian conflict.

"During the Vietnam War, many young men including the current president, the vice president and me could have gone to Vietnam but didn't. John Kerry came from a privileged background and could have avoided it, too.

"Instead he said, send me," Clinton said.

"When they sent those swift-boats up the river in Vietnam and told them their job was to draw hostile fire to show the American flag and bait the enemy to come out and fight, John Kerry said, send me," Clinton continued.