Helen Thomas

Democratic Party leaders are bragging. They have achieved their goal of unity at their 2004 national convention with no infighting, no political brawls, no boisterous protesters within shouting distance of the FleetCenter convention hall.

Everyone is on their best behavior. The delegates have been disciplined into group-think to take them down the road to election victory. And they are playing along.

The extraordinary unanimity is so unlike most Democratic national conventions. I almost miss the pandemonium of the past. This one has been so scripted it could pass for a Republican national convention.

Iraq and Bush's preemptive war policy, which should be key issues in the campaign, have been soft pedaled. It appears pollsters have told party leaders that they need to reach undecided voters by taking the high road and refrain from bashing President Bush or his policies.

The shots were being called by presidential candidate John Kerry's staffers who alerted speakers to keep on message. They checked content and length of speech drafts submitted in advance. Dissent was discouraged. Most speakers walked the walk.

One theme sure to win approval from the Kerry editors was to praise his Vietnam record and war-time bravery to counter Bush's campaign theme that he would be tougher on terrorists. The convention speaking schedule included several veterans to underline that point.

Much as it tried to sell "bland," the Kerry campaign team was not in complete control. No one is going to tell former President Jimmy Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, what to say. Carter did not mention Bush by name --he didn't have to. Strongly anti war, Carter took the gloves off against the president, saying: "Truth is the foundation of our global leadership, but our credibility has been shattered and we are left increasingly isolated and vulnerable in a hostile world."

He added that "trust is at the very heart of our democracy, the sacred covenant between the president and the people." In his toughest attack, Carter said "we cannot be true to ourselves if we mistreat others. And in our world at large we cannot lead if we mislead."

He added that Kerry would avoid "unnecessary wars."

Former Vice President Al Gore, who had been roughing up Bush in pre-convention speeches on the Iraqi war, took a gentler approach, telling the delegates: "isn't it now obvious that the way the war has been managed by the administration has gotten us into very serious trouble?"

There were not-so-subtle swipes at Bush's ambiguous record of military service during the Vietnam war. He joined the Texas Air National Guard in that era -- leaping ahead on a waiting list, thanks to his political pull -- but there are lingering questions about how diligently he fulfilled his obligation to the Guard.

Carter said two presidents--Harry Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower--knew the "horrors of war" and would never put "our soldiers and sailors in harm's way by initiating 'wars of choice."'

"Our Democratic party is led by another former naval officer--one who volunteered for military service. He showed up when assigned to duty, and he served with honor and distinction," Carter said.

Gore praised Kerry for showing "uncommon heroism on the battlefield in Vietnam."

Former President Bill Clinton-- who was taunted throughout his White House years for having evaded the draft during the Vietnam war-- also brought up Kerry's military heroism during a rip-roaring speech.

"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. . ."'

Teresa Heinz Kerry also had a kind word for her husband's war record-- and a zinger for Bush. Referring to the candidate, she said: "He earned his medals the old-fashioned way, by putting his life on the line for his country. No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will--and he will always be first in the line of fire."

She added that for Kerry, "The names of too many friends inscribed in the cold stone of the Vietnam Memorial testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake stubbornness for strength."

Copyright Hearst Newspapers, 2004, All Rights Reserved.