For Kerry, The Speech Of His Life

David Paul Kuhn, CBSNews.com Chief Political Writer, reports from the Democratic Convention in Boston.

Kerry is expected to go heavy on biography in an address estimated to go on for 45 minutes or more. Not surprisingly, he will emphasize his dramatic service in the Vietnam war, but also the decades of political service from prosecutor to senator. The goal: a portrait of a man tested, trained and toughened for the presidency, a fit commander-in-chief, a competent, compassionate head of state.

In more than a dozen interviews with delegates from 15 states and former Democratic presidential nominees, there was one prevailing consensus: the opportunity is there for Kerry, it's a big one and he must seize it.

"This is a great opportunity for John Kerry," said George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic nominee for president. "It's the first time, and it may be a long time, before he gets another opportunity like this.

"[Kerry] has got to show that he is a man of strength, that he is decisive, that he is forceful and that he has a big heart."

Democrats hope Kerry's sentences will be terse. They want decisive viewpoints and a clearly laid-out vision for the future. They hope he won't differentiate himself from President Bush solely on past policies. Above all, the hope is he'll come across as credible and even personable.

If Kerry does not, what needs to be the loudest moment of his political life will fall on deaf ears.

"It's a very important moment," emphasized 1984 Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale, sitting with his Minnesota delegation on the floor of the convention Wednesday night. But is Kerry's great moment his do-or-die moment?

"It isn't a die moment, but I certainly hope he is taking it as a do-or-die deal," the 76-year-old Mondale said.

According to Mondale, there are three defining events in a campaign: the nomination, the speech, which Kerry will deliver Thursday night, and the first debate. Mondale considers the second debate just as important, but by then "you start losing your television audience in some way."

Certainly, by any expectation (and expectations are tempered), Kerry can wow the thousands of delegates stuffing the aisles of the FleetCenter floor, but can he woo the estimated 7 percent of crucial undecided voters in pivotal swing states, like Mondale's Minnesota?

"I think that he has to tell Minnesotans that he has a sense of the idea for their future and a sense of decency," Mondale said. "The overarching issue [for Kerry's nomination speech] is security, anxiety about terrorism, Iraq and how he protects us and this country.

"He's got to hit that issue in a way that people find persuasive."

In some sense, Kerry has had decades to plan for tonight's speech. As all those who have known him since college attest, the senator from Massachusetts who idealized John F. Kennedy and once sailed with him as a young man at Yale, has wanted to be president his entire life.

And what followed was a three-decade journey: from the decorated veteran who earned three Purple Hearts, to leading anti-war activist, to Massachusetts lieutenant governor, to U.S. senator, to this pivotal night, where Kerry must earn his presidency.

"We know that Kerry is a hero who is very qualified with 20 years in the Senate, but we want to hear what he is going to do in the future," said Missouri delegate James Montee, an attorney.

Kerry's chief stagiest Tad Devine said, "The speech is for people to get a real, first-hand knowledge about his plans for the nation."

"John Kerry wants to give insight into himself," Devine told CBS News. Kerry will speak to "his values and his experiences" and explain how they are "connected to his plan for the future." But that will likely not include a detailed plan for Iraq.

Kerry is expected not to refer to President Bush by name, but be critical of his war on terror. He will propose ending America's dependence on Middle Eastern oil, as he has for months. He will share his biography, hoping to utilize it as the foundation for an issue-inundated address.

"I think John Kerry has to relax a little," said Pennsylvania Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski. "He has to tell America who he is and show that the beliefs he has are exemplified by the life he has lived, the service to his country … and that he is capable of the intellectual power and leadership.

"He can't pretend to be anyone other than who he is."

Kanjorski said Kerry has to "speak to the heart of people, whether they are in Pennsylvania or Iowa."

A self-described soccer mom, Wisconsin delegate Christine Marshall agreed.

He'll accomplish this, she said, "If he reaches out to people by being John Kerry and not being handled."

In an election this contested, with about 93 percent of likely voters leaning heavily to a candidate in 2004, any significant bounce that sticks would be a victory for Kerry.

To get a bounce in the polls, to be successful, North Carolina state Rep. Earline Parmon said Kerry is going to have to focus on the issues that got him here, like jobs, health care and education.

For McGovern, he still recalls the chaos of the 1972 Democratic gathering. It was not until 2:30 a.m. that he made his nomination speech. Kerry "must avoid that (and) speak in prime time," he said.

McGovern captivated the Democratic Party during the last divisive war, but in the end won only Massachusetts. Today, his campaign is a major factor in why the Democratic Party is both united and not, in platform at least, against the war in Iraq.

"I wouldn't dare advise Kerry on what to say, other than, he should say what is deepest in his heart and mind, "McGovern said, his voice raspy, his tone humbled. "Don't worry about the focus groups and the public opinion polls; say what you honestly feel is good for America."

By David Kuhn