Obama Says 'Enough' To 8 Years Of Republican Rule,
Begins Bid For PresidentThursday August 28, 2008
by David Espo and Robert Furlow,
The Associated Press
Photo Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesBarack Obama launched his historic bid for the White House on Thursday with a no-holds-barred and comprehensive attack on George W. Bush and his would-be successor, John McCain, at an outdoor extravaganza packed with thousands of exuberant Democrats keen to see him end eight years of divisive Republican rule.
"We are better than these last eight years," Obama, the first black man to make a run for the White House, said to thunderous applause after he accepted the nomination at the packed Invesco Field, Denver's NFL stadium.
"We are a better country than this ... America, we cannot turn back."
Obama took to the stage to deafening roars from the crowd after a stirring video-taped segment that delved into his childhood -- he was raised by a hard-working white single mother from Kansas -- and his persistent courting of his wife, Michelle, who wasn't interested when she first met him.
It all happened on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
"I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office -- I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington," Obama said.
"But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring."
"What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you. For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past."
Obama's speech, said to have been written by the Democratic candidate over the past few days while campaigning in the Midwest before his arrival at the convention Wednesday, was the most important of his political career. It also marked the beginning of his official bid to win the White House.
Just seconds into his address, Obama paid tribute to his rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, and her husband Bill Clinton, clearly aiming to quell any concerns that tensions continued to simmer between their two camps. He later praised the prosperity that Bill Clinton brought to the United States during his eight years in the White House.
Obama made frequent references to a yearning for a better America and a pledge to bring hope and prosperity back to the country, but his relentless attack on the Republicans -- including their stances on energy, education, health insurance, gun control, abortion and the war in Iraq -- was the hallmark of his address.
He came out swinging against the Republican party, pledging to "fix the broken politics" in Washington, and consistently linked McCain to the outgoing Bush presidency, noting that the Republican candidate had voted with Bush 90 per cent of the time.
"I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 per cent chance on change," Obama said.
"We meet at one of those defining moments -- a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil and the American promise has been threatened once more."
The time has come for a change in leadership, he added.
"We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight -- on Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: `Eight is enough'."
Obama took the stage after a parade of speakers before him, including his running mate, Joe Biden, and a group of retired generals who railed against the war in Iraq and the treatment of veterans under Bush.
A number of everyday Americans also made appearances, disgruntled Republicans who said they were casting their ballots for Obama in November due to their disillusionment with the Republicans after eight years of Bush rule.
Al Gore, the failed 2000 Democratic candidate, delivered an eloquent speech that wowed the crowd, estimated at 84,000, as they cheered and chanted "Yes we can!" on a warm summer's night as the amber sky glowed overhead.
"Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000," Gore said.
"John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them, the same policies all over again."
"Hey, I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous," Gore said as the crowd roared.
Obama's Invesco Field event was reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's acceptance speech in 1960, when Kennedy, too, staged an outdoor extravaganza as he launched his official campaign for the White House at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960.
Entertainers who performed at Invesco Field on Thursday night included Stevie Wonder, who sang "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" to elated cheers from the crowd.
Obama's speech capped a four-day convention that set out to show Americans that the Democrats were united after a fractious primary season that left bad blood between Obama supporters and those who backed Hillary Clinton.
Nervous about the lingering bad feelings and McCain's rise in the polls, party officials were determined to present a united front.
Bill and Hillary Clinton both rose to the occasion during their speeches, publicly putting aside any hurt feelings as they forcefully urged Clinton supporters to get behind Obama and help propel him to the White House.
The Republicans, however, were doing what they could to steal the spotlight. Rudy Giuliani and Karl Rove were spotted at Pepsi Center during the convention, and on Thursday, there was speculation that McCain was about to announce his running mate.
The Republican convention opens Monday in St. Paul, Minn.
McCain was in Ohio as Obama spoke, and after a series of sharply negative convention week television commercials, his campaign aired a one-night advertisement that complimented Obama and noted the speech occurred on the anniversary of King Jr.'s famous address.
"Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, 'Congratulations,"' McCain says in the ad.
"How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done.
