ANNOUNCER:   CROSSFIRE. On the left, James Carville and Paul Begala; on the right, Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson. In the 
CROSSFIRE:   
TERRY MCAULIFFE, DNC CHAIRMAN:   The Democratic Party will now come to order! 
ANNOUNCER:   The convention is under way and the Democrats are promising to make nice. 
SEN. JOHN KERRY  , PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:   We have got to lower our voices in America and listen to each other. 
ANNOUNCER:   The Clintons are on the podium tonight. Can the Democrats tone down the anti-Bush rhetoric for a whole four days? Should they do it for the rest of the campaign? 
CLINTON:   I cannot wait to see them leave the White House -- the sooner the better. 
ANNOUNCER:   Today, on CROSSFIRE.    Live from the CNN Election Express at the Democratic National Convention in Boston, James Carville and Robert Novak. 
CARVILLE:   Welcome to CROSSFIRE across the river from the convention site and right next to the USS Constitution. 
NOVAK:   The Democrats would like nothing better than to spend the week bashing President Bush and the Republicans. We'll debate whether they can possibly resist temptation and hold their fire. But first, we're going to fire some political salvos of our own. Here comes the best political briefing in television, our CROSSFIRE "Political Alert." Teresa Heinz Kerry is a good looking woman who looks all the better because she's worth $1 billion. That's a good reason why everybody treats her with such respect, especially her husband, John Kerry.  But precisely because nobody ever corrects her, she spells big trouble for his campaign. Yesterday, she focused her political opponents -- she accused her political opponents of un-American traits and then denied Saturday what she said. When a political reporter persisted in questioning her, she put him in his place. 
TERESA HEINZ KERRY, WIFE OF SENATOR JOHN KERRY:   Of course. Understandable. You said something I didn't say. Now shove it. 
NOVAK:   Her husband's staff then accused the reporter of working for a right-wing rag, meaning a newspaper that's not in the bag for the Democrats. That's an outrage to say that, but outrage is Teresa's middle name. 
CARVILLE:   She said shove it. Boy, what are we going to tell the children? What a terrible thing. You know what? I like her. She's a woman who thinks for herself. And, Bob, I know how much that infuriates you and your right-wing friends.    But you know what? She's a good lady. I had the honor of hosting a Veterans For Kerry event today. It was packed with thousands of wildly enthusiastic veterans. I just told them what the main fact of this convention is, that John Kerry is just a much better man, just a much better man than George W. Bush. Man to man, there's no comparison. He has faced every man's three greatest fears, combat. He won the Silver Star. Cancer. He got out of bed and ran for president. Certain to be defeated, he came back to win his party's nomination faster than anyone has before. It's a neat feeling to know that we just got the best man. 
NOVAK:   James, let me tell the other side of the story.    There's a lot of veterans not happy with 
CARVILLE:   Almost all the people that served with him, everyone that served on his boat were talking about what a tremendous, great leader he was. You know, when he was getting shot at, George W. Bush wasn't even attending Air National Guard meetings. He's a man that has faced adversity, defeated it. We just got the best man, Bob. That's all. He's just -- Kerry's a better man. 
NOVAK:   There's going to be a book coming out giving the other side of what the Vietnam veterans really think of John Kerry. 
CARVILLE:   Right. 
NOVAK:   I can assure of that.    It seemed like such a good idea for the geniuses who run John Kerry's campaign, have him show up as a big surprise at the Red Sox-Yankees game last night. These masterminds thought the old rule that politicians always get booed at sporting events does not apply to Senator John in his hometown. Well, it did apply. Bostonians out to root for the Red Sox did not want interruptions from any politician. They booed the mere mention of the convention, whose fantastic security arrangements have fouled up their life. And then the senator, who is billed as a great athlete, threw a wild pitch. Is this a preview of the decision-making ability of the Kerry team? 
CARVILLE:   Just like when Dick Cheney went to Yankee Stadium. Look, let me tell you, there was poll in "The Boston Herald," which is a right-wing newspaper here, about how wildly enthusiastic people in Boston are. Can't walk down the street here in Boston without people saying, Mr. Carville, thank you for coming to our city. We hope you enjoy it. The weather is nice. The people are friendly. The Democrats are united. And we have got the best man. 
NOVAK:   James, you said it 17 times. I'm sick of hearing it. 
CARVILLE:   We have got the best man. 
NOVAK:   James, I wonder, you used to be a political manager. Don't you think it's a bum idea to put politicians at athletic events? You know that, don't you? 
CARVILLE:   No. He likes to go. He actually sports. So let him go where he wants to. See, we have got the best man, Bob. 
NOVAK:   Oh, it's making me ill. 
CARVILLE:   Shove it. 
NOVAK:   It's making me ill. 
CARVILLE:   I want to take a moment to tip my hat to Terry McAuliffe, the much maligned chairman of the Democratic Party. Will Rogers once said, I don't belong to an organized party. I'm a Democrat. In 2001, Chairman McAuliffe inherited a party that was fractured, fragmented and broke. As today's "Washington Post" reports, thanks to Chairman McAuliffe, the Democratic Party now has a new headquarters building, 170-million-person voter list, up-to-date technology and budget that's in the black. Mr. McAuliffe, you have built a foundation for Democratic victories, not this year, but for a lot of years to come. And I salute you, sir. 
NOVAK:   The reason he is much-maligned is, he deserved to be. He was an artful dodger. He was involved in so many scandals that got out of. And he's so mean in his rhetoric that, when the Kerry people won the nomination, they said, shut up, Terry. And he has shut up since then. 
CARVILLE:   He's banging the gavel opening up the Democratic National -- he has done a tremendous job for this party. And he didn't pay attention to all these bloviating blowhards that said all this about him. Terry, you've done a good job. We're damn proud to have you as party chairman. 
NOVAK:   They want to keep him off the tube as much as possible. And they have. You know that. That is a fact. 
CARVILLE:   I just saw over there open the convention. 
NOVAK:   All right, but he's not saying a word now. He's like a James Carville out there, you know?    He gets people mad. 
CARVILLE:   Well, they don't keep me off the air, Bob. I like to get them mad. 
NOVAK:   OK. Democrats are gathering for the first night of their convention. Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter speak tonight. Where in the world is Walter Mondale? Is this really a party looking to the future? And, later, there's a big stink -- stink -- developing at this convention site. We'll tell you what it's all about later.
