More than 900 soldiers have been killed and nearly 6,000 wounded in ''this misguided war in Iraq,'' Sen. Edward M. Kennedy told delegates packed into the FleetCenter.

And in a keynote speech that drew frequent and sustained applause, Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama described Kerry as a Vietnam War hero who has long made ''tough choices when easier ones were available.'' Without mentioning Bush by name, he said the president had failed to level with the public before ordering troops into Iraq.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and hundreds of armed security personnel patrolled the convention complex perimeter as 4,354 Democratic delegates and hundreds of alternatives filed into the hall for a second night of political oratory.

For all the professional political speechmaking, it fell to 12-year-old Ilana Wexler of Oakland, Calif., founder of Kids for Kerry, to evoke some of the loudest applause of the night. ''Our vice president deserves a long time out,'' she said of Dick Cheney, who recently cussed out Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on the Senate floor.

''When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going,'' said Obama. ”. . . And to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace and earn the respect of the world.''

Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota pursued the same two-pronged approach, hailing Kerry as a Vietnam veteran who showed bravery under fire while he faulted Bush's approach to national security.

''He risked his life to save the life of others, and he led his small band of brothers to safety,'' Daschle said of Kerry.

At the same time, he said of the Bush administration, ''We reject the claim that we can't afford to provide our troops with access to affordable health care. When our soldiers do right by America, we must do right by them.''

Several of Kerry's former primary foes had their turn at the convention podium. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who stirred emotions early in the campaign when he vowed to represent the ''Democratic wing of the Democratic Party,'' drew some of the loudest applause of the night.

''I was hoping for a reception like this. I was just kind of hoping it was going to be on Thursday night,'' he said, a reference to when Kerry delivers his acceptance speech.

Democrats met while Bush was at his Texas ranch. White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said he hadn't watched the convention Monday and wasn't planning to Tuesday.