There were moments of solemnity, as well, at the first national political convention since the terror attacks of Sept., 11, 2001.

The hall went nearly dark, the only light provided by thousands of small flashlights held aloft by delegates for a remembrance of the strikes that killed nearly 3,000 souls. The haunting sounds of "Amazing Grace" floated across the arena from the violin of a 16-year-old musician.

The first night of the convention included only muted references to the social issues that divide America. "John Kerry and John Edwards won't prevent you from getting the reproductive health care you need," said Gloria Feldt of Planned Parenthood.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin said Kerry will guarantee the right to family health benefits to all our families — including domestic partners.

Gore urged Democrats to "fully and completely" channel their anger of the bitter Florida recount that decided the 2000 election and send Kerry to the White House.

The former vice president drew repeated ovations from delegates packed into the FleetCenter — none louder than when he drew his wife Tipper into a kiss reminiscent of the one they shared at the convention four years ago in Los Angeles.

Gore's remarks drew praise from Raymond Zeller, chairman of Miami-Dade County Democratic Party. "They cannot forget what happened in the year 2000. And they dare not (let it) happen again," Zeller said.

Former President Carter, elected to the White House in 1976, accused Bush of squandering the international goodwill that flowed to the United States in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Unilateral acts and demands have isolated the United States from the very nations we need to join us in combatting terrorism," Carter said.

Clinton, who twice led his party to victory, declared himself "a foot soldier" in Kerry's army and urged Americans to rally behind the candidate's upbeat message.

"Democrats and Republicans have very different ideas on what choices we should make, rooted in fundamentally different views of how we should meet our common challenges at home and how we should play our role in the world," the former president said.

"Democrats want to build an America of shared responsibilities and shared opportunities . . . Republicans believe in an America run by the right people — their people," he said.

Kerry runs even to slightly ahead of Bush in the polls, and Republicans dispatched a team of surrogates to the Democrats' convention city to try to slow his campaign momentum. "The Extreme Makeover Convention," they called it, deriding the senator as a liberal trying to run from a record of more than two decades in Congress.