New York
THE DIFFERENCE is pretty stark. The first night of the Democratic convention in Boston was a carnival of losers. It was dominated by Al Gore and Jimmy Carter, who both gave prominent speeches. The mood was one of studied, celebrated victimhood.

The Republicans have their share of losers, too and on the first night here there are tributes to Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, but they take the form of short, pre-taped video montages. It's an obligatory tip of the hat, but nothing more. Instead, the Republicans are concentrating on their winners, and the two big stars on display are Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, who are the future of the party.

There are other, more significant differences. Democrats emphasized the general notion of "A Stronger America." Republicans are reminding the audience that we are a nation at war.

The crowd in Madison Square Garden waves signs saying "We Salute Our Troops" in big, G.I. Joe, block letters. During a musical interlude, the band Dexter Freebish dedicates a song to America's soldiers. The big banners hanging above the TV studios say "A Nation of Courage" and "Fulfilling America's Promise: A Safer World, A More Hopeful America."

Ron Silver, an actor who was a liberal Democrat before September 11, gives a stirring, serious minded speech about the war. He says explicitly that America is at war with "Islamic extremists"--this plain language would have been inconceivable in Boston. "This is a war we did not seek," he says. "This is a

JOHN McCAIN'S job is to make sure that TV viewers don't see Republicans as a scary, hairy-chested, Neanderthal war party, but instead as a tough, determined, more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger war party. He is effective.

McCain uses searingly clear moral language. "It's a fight between right and wrong, good and evil," he says, talking about war with the Islamists. "Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war," he says. And later, "There is no avoiding this war. We tried that, and our reluctance cost us dearly."

His defense of Bush's decision to topple Saddam is sober, saying that "our choice was not between a benign status quo and war. It was between war and a graver threat." He calls Bush's mission "necessary, achievable, and noble."

At two points in the speech McCain goes out of his way to reach out to Democrats. He says that he doesn't doubt the sincerity of Democrats in their commitment to fight terrorism. Later, talking about the election, he says that it is good to "engage in spirited disagreement" but that "we have nothing to fear from each other." "It should remain an argument among friends who share an unshaken belief in our great cause, and in the goodness of each other. . . . We are not enemies, but comrades in a war."