Former President Bill Clinton will be the opening-night attraction of the Democratic convention in Boston next month, kicking off the four-day event with a speech in prime time, just as he did in 2000, party officials said on Monday. But the decision to use Clinton this time was easy, party officials said, unlike the decision four years ago, when some advisers to Vice President Al Gore were ambivalent about giving Clinton such prominence at the convention. By contrast, some officials said, it is Gore's role at the convention this year that is still being worked out.
Democratic officials said their careful choreography of the convention reflects a belief that it is one of the most important events of the campaign for Sen. John Kerry, who will use it to introduce himself to voters who may be paying close attention for the first time. Several officials said that the speaking schedule was still being discussed and that nothing was final; all of them spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to speak publicly until the schedule was ready to be officially announced. But what is close to certain now, they said, is that Clinton will speak in prime time on the convention's opening night, July 26; Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts will speak in prime time on July 27; Kerry's running mate will speak on July 28, and Kerry will give his acceptance speech on July 29.
Party and campaign officials said it was also likely that Kerry's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, will have a prominent speaking role at the convention, as could one or more of Kerry's primary and caucus opponents.
One senior aide to Kerry said the campaign decided to open the convention with Clinton because "we think Bill Clinton talking about the enormous prosperity of the 1990s, and the importance of John Kerry's candidacy, is an important discussion to have."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/politics/2652087
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