BOSTON -- Chanting anti-war slogans, protesters marched across the freshly mowed lawn of the Boston Common, past the elegant boutiques of the elite Beacon Hill neighborhood and by the FleetCenter, site of the Democratic National Convention, where snipers, concrete barricades, armed soldiers and ribbons of razor wire made downtown Boston resemble downtown Baghdad.

But in addition to the usual peace protesters' demands to end the war in Iraq and bring U.S. troops home, many of the nearly 2,000 demonstrators carried a new message: We don't like presumptive Democratic Party nominee John Kerry, but we'll vote for him anyway.

I don't think the mainstream Democratic Party is doing enough to stop the war, but I'm gonna vote for Kerry.

Linda Colbert, a nurse from Texas, who said she felt "very definitely cheated" about her choices

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today to an uncommon accord among its members as Democrats -- from anti-globalization activists to anti- war protesters to the more conservative factions -- embrace, often reluctantly, Kerry in the name of defeating President Bush.

Polls show most Democrats disagree with Kerry on a key campaign issue, the war in Iraq. Kerry supports a continued American presence there until Iraq regains stability, while 90 percent of delegates want the United States to pull out of the war-ravaged country, a New York Times-CBS News poll shows.

People who call themselves the Democratic left say they are willing to put these major differences aside, at least until Nov. 2, and acquiesce to Kerry's positions in order to avoid a schism they believe could cost the Democrats victory in the presidential election. Lack of party unity in 2000, when Al Gore lost votes to the Green Party candidate, Ralph Nader, paved the way for Bush's election.

"It's important to unite right now," said Charlene Johnston, an environmental engineer who campaigned for former presidential candidate Howard Dean.

Johnston and about 400 other Dean supporters gathered in the western Massachusetts town of Pittsfield to discuss, among other issues, the need to support Kerry in the election.

"There's frustration because there's a feeling that the progressive vote is not being heard, but there's too much on the line right now," Johnston said.

Frustration is a sentiment shared by many liberal American voters.

"It's incredibly frustrating to feel like ... our political system allows for so few choices," said Dawn Peterson, whose brother, Davin, died in the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. "It's frustrating that we have to choose the lesser evil. I know Kerry and Bush are very far apart on a lot of issues. But there has been such a pull to the far right that I feel like Kerry caters to a lot of (conservative) values."

Tony Flaherty, a Vietnam veteran from Boston who had served in the Navy for 25 years, said the decision to support Kerry was "a tough one" to make.

"He is not my first choice," Flaherty said. "We can at least pray that Kerry, who has seen combat, would feel bad about sending young people to die. I would pray his conscience would prevail."

Linda Colbert, a nurse from Texas, said she felt "very definitely cheated" about her choices.

"I don't think the mainstream Democratic Party is doing enough to stop the war, but I'm gonna vote for Kerry," Colbert said.

© Copyright 2004 San Francisco Chronicle

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