Like dozens of other speakers at the convention, Edwards' script stressed the overriding national security theme at the convention. He recalled Kerry's service in Vietnam a generation ago, saying he ordered his swiftboat turned around despite enemy fire and plucked a fellow American from the river to safety.

"Decisive. Strong. Is that not what we need in a commander in chief?" he asked rhetorically.

But Edwards' speech also marked something of a pivot to other issues that have received scant attention during three nights of convention oratory.

In one of the few references of the convention to Kerry's economic program, Edwards said it relies on tax hikes on Americans in the top 2 percent of income and offers the hope of benefits to millions.

"We can build an America where we no longer have two health-care systems," he said. ". . . We can build one public school system that works for all our children. . . . We can create good-paying jobs in America again," he added, by stopping the tax breaks that give companies an incentive to send jobs overseas.

Elizabeth Edwards introduced her husband to the delegates. "The most optimistic man I know," she called him. The couple's three children, including Emma Claire, 6, and Jack, 4, joined them on stage after the speech, adding an image of youth and energy to the Democratic campaign.

Bush's re-election campaign lost no time in criticizing Edwards.

"We saw John Kerry's running mate tonight portray America as a nation in decline, but the American people know we are strong and overcoming the challenges of the past three years," said spokesman Steve Schmidt. "John Kerry's extreme makeover of adding a smile to his pessimistic rhetoric cannot change his out of the mainstream record."

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