Dems open convention, stage for a tested president

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Four years later Democrats have gathered again, this time in support of a president who carries the power and the burden of incumbency. Both are in evidence as the opening gavel is struck at the Democratic National Convention.

President Barack Obama demonstrated the power Monday in a convention-eve visit to hurricane-stricken Louisiana, offering aid and empathy. His burden is a ragged economy that is at the core of the hotly competitive contest with Republican Mitt Romney.

Michele Obama's speech Tuesday night is an early highlight of the three-day convention.

Although Obama is no longer the newbie who leveraged a short Senate career into an audacious run for the nation's highest office, he can still excite partisans. And Democrats are counting on a massive audience for his speech later this week.