CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS.

Wednesday's events at the Republican convention:

THE CANDIDATES

Bob Dole: Was still reworking the most important speech of his life - his acceptance speech, to be delivered tonight. ``You always change a few things around,'' Dole told reporters. Dole has been working on the speech since April with novelist-essayist Mark Helprin. By Tuesday night Dole had ordered what advisers described as significant revisions, and Helprin left San Diego. ``Speech writing is a little bit of a messy process,'' said John Buckley, Dole's communications director. ``It has been a process of Bob Dole converting it sentence by sentence, in alchemical fashion, into what is clearly his speech.''

Jack Kemp: Assured California Republicans of help in fighting illegal immigration and support for upending some affirmative action programs. ``We have the right to have a sovereign border,'' Kemp said. ``We will pledge ourselves not only to doing our best to stop illegal immigration, we will do our best to make sure there's a federal government that recognizes it should be compensating the state of California.'' Kemp, a longtime supporter of affirmative action, also told the audience that race-based quotas and programs based solely on race must be replaced.

NEWS OF NOTE:

Republicans were nominating Dole to carry their banner against Clinton, launching the World War II veteran into an uphill struggle with the first baby boomer president. ``We nominate Bob Dole for president because he is a man of honor, a man of firm purpose and deep commitment to his country's cause,'' Arizona Sen. John McCain said in placing Dole's name before the delegates. The nomination was seconded by Wendy Gramm, former chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, and the co-valedictorians of the graduating class of the Russell, Kan., high school.

Elizabeth Dole, without text or electronic prompter, walked among the convention delegates to talk about her husband's human side and interview some of his friends. ``I am going to be speaking to friends and I'm going to be speaking about the man I love. It's just a lot more comfortable for me to do this down here with you,'' she said. ``This election is about the visions and values that will shape America as we move into the next century, and it's about the character of the man who will lead us there. Bob Dole, born in Kansas.''

Dole's daughter, Robin Dole, was the other star speaker. ``I wish every child could grow up as I did, with a father she knew would love her without condition, keep her safe from harm, glory in her independence and drive deep in her soul an unshakable understanding of right and wrong,'' she said.

THE DELEGATES SPEAK

``I'd be a big Dole supporter even if we didn't have the same name in common. I don't totally agree with everything Dole and Jack Kemp say, but I agree with Ronald Reagan when you agree with someone 90 percent of the time, you call them a 90 percent friend, not a 10 percent enemy.'' Stephen Dole, Southworth, Wash.

``We're just trying to save money, have a good time and do everything we can to make sure that Bob Dole's the next president of the United States.'' Mark Fahleson, chief of staff to Rep. Jon Christensen, R-Neb., who's sharing a hotel suite with several other conventiongoers.

ON TV TODAY

ABC and CBS: Convention coverage, 6 p.m. PDT.

NBC: Convention coverage, 6:30 p.m. PDT.

PBS: 5 p.m. PDT, Joint coverage with NBC. PBS coverage continues at 6:30 p.m. PDT as NBC splits off for separate coverage.

Fox: Updates during regularly scheduled programming.

CNN: Focuses on convention all day.

C-SPAN: Round-the-clock coverage.

MSNBC: Focuses on convention all day.

Black Entertainment Television: Special convention report, 6 p.m. PDT.

Comedy Central: Convention updates during regularly scheduled programs.

Family Channel: Convention coverage, 6 p.m. PDT.

MTV: Live coverage, 8:30 to 9 p.m. PDT.