Clinton's speech was generally well received bythe delegates and guests gathered in MadisonSquare Garden. The audience was on its feet afterthe speech, swaying and waving signs to the tuneof "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" ascolorful balloons dropped from the ceiling.

The address was thin on policy specifics and ondiscussion of foreign affairs. Clinton mentionedthe homeless once in the 53-minute speech, andnever uttered the word "environment" withoutsaying "jobs" or "growth" in the same breath.

Idealistic buzzwords made up a good part of thespeech, and Clinton at times would rattle them offone after the other. "Old-fashioned Americans fora new time. Opportunity. Responsibility.Community," he said, describing the "NewCovenant."

Clinton was sharply critical of Bush, sayingthe president "derides and degrades the Americantradition of seeing and seeking a better future."

But in the end, the candidate who was raised bya widowed mother in Hope, Arkansas was optimisticabout the possibilities for change.

"I still believe in a place called Hope,"Clinton said.

In his speech, Gore was appropriatelyvice-presidential, devoting much of his speech topraising the top half of his ticket and spendingcomparatively little time on his favorite issue,the environment.

"When we bring the community of Americatogether, we will rekindle the American spirit andrenew this nation for generations to come," Goresaid. "And the way to begin is to elect BillClinton President of the United States ofAmerica!"

Like Clinton, Gore brought family values andpatriotism to his speech.

"I'm proud my father and mother could be heretonight to see me join a ticket that will makegood on the best advice they ever gave me: to tellthe truth and always love my country," Gore said.

In perhaps the evening's most emotional moment,Gore described in detail the experience of seeinghis son, Albert, struck by a car and thrown 30feet three years ago.

"When you've seen your reflection in the emptystare of a boy waiting for his second breath oflife, you realize that we weren't put here onearth to look out for our needs alone," Gore said."We're part of something much larger thanourselves."

Gore likened America to his injured son. "Ourdemocracy is lying there in the gutter waiting forus to give it a second breath of life," Gore said.

And Gore, too, changed his speech at the lastminute in order to make a "special plea" to Perotsupporters.

"Stay involved," Gore told fans of the maverickTexan. "You have already changed politics for thiscountry for the better. Don't give up on yourfight for change."

Brian D. Ellison contributed to thereporting of this article.