Aug 29, 2008

Obama accepts nomination

84,000 people packed Denver's Invesco Field for the historic speech

By Mary Anne Ostrom / Bay Area News Group

On a memorable Thursdasy night in Denver that juxtaposed the past and the future, Barack Obama told Americans that the nation has reached a defining moment again, and it will take a Democrat to meet the challenges of war and a faltering economy.

Before a jubilant 84,000-strong crowd at Invesco Field, Obama mounted the stage and entered history as the first black man to accept a major party nomination's for America's highest office. The emotion of the moment was heightened since the speech coincided with the 45th anniversary of the day Martin Luther King, Jr. marched to Washington and proclaimed, "I have a dream."

"I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office," Obama said. "I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington. But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring."

In accepting the nomination, Obama offered a taste of the brutal fight ahead as both campaigns sprint toward the November election. In some of his harshest words yet, he condemned the Bush administration, and repeatedly linked his opponent John McCain to the unpopular president.

"What does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change."

Obama entered the night with huge expectations, and an earful of criticism from those who thought he needed to sharpen his attacks and get specific. Compared to previous speeches, he was more bent on clearly contrasting himself to McCain and listed his agenda for helping the nation's ailing economy.

In the unusual setting of a football stadium, the candidate known for his lofty oratory and commanding presence, looked small on a stage on the 50-yard line, but his voice echoed through the concrete and steel stadium. The last time a major political candidate filled an outdoor stadium was 1960, when John F. Kennedy gave his acceptance speech in Los Angeles.

Earlier in the evening, during a tribute to King, his son, Martin Luther King, III said, "I cannot help but feel how proud my father would be, proud of Barack Obama, proud of the party that nominated him."

But for all the historical allusions of the evening, a large part of the speech was devoted to challenging McCain and laying out his plans for addressing the ailing economy and ending the war in Iraq.

In a series of jabs at McCain, he painted the Arizona senator as a Washington insider stuck with an old playbook.

"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it," Obama said.

And he challenged McCain over who is more fit to lead the nation on military affairs while warning McCain against questioning Obama's patriotism.

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have," Obama said.

"He did everything he need to do," said Barbara O'Connor, who heads Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at Cal State Sacramento. "On the granular level he stuck it to McCain, and he also answered critics who have said he is too soaring and not specific."

Many of those witnessing the historic evening, which ended with a blaze of fireworks and a rain of confetti in the massive stadium, said they were moved.

"It was awesome, awesome, and more awesome," said Tony Alexander, a San Jose union official and California delegate who sat 14 rows in front of the stage.

Obama delivered the speech after five hours of a warm-act that included political and musical stars, including former vice president Al Gore and singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. He spoke before an ecstatic, flag-waving crowd that stomped their feet in approval to create a thunderous roar.

Gore, himself, received a Democratic hero's welcome and quickly reminded the audience that the country would have been better off if he'd won the presidency in 2000. "I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn't matter," he said.

He said, "I believe this election is close today mainly because the forces of the status quo are desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents."

Obama told the crowd that while McCain served his country well as a soldier, he would do no better than Bush on foreign policy.

"Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans - Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy."

On Thursday, McCain unveiled an ad essentially congratulating Obama, while mentioning the King speech anniversary. "Tomorrow we'll be back at it," he said in television the ad, "But tonight, Senator, job well done."

However, his spokesman sent out a stinging rebuke at the speech's conclusion.

"When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship" campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds wrote in an e-mail. "The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be president."