Photo: Ron Edmonds / AP
Watch Obama’s Historic Acceptance Speech
Thursday, August 28, 2008
DENVER, Colorado (CNN) — Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama laid out his credentials to take on and beat Republican candidate John McCain in the fall election.
“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,” he said.
He said he was able to lead the country into an era of change after what he called eight years of failed policies.
“America, we are better than these last eight years,” he told supporters at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night in Denver Colorado. “This moment, this election, is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.”
Obama was greeted by tens of thousands of cheering supporters chanting “yes we can.”
Photo: NY Daily News
He emphasized his humble roots and the example of his grandparents’ service to the nation and their family.
“I don’t know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine,” he said. “These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States.”
He brushed aside critiques from his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, accusing him of being out of touch.
“It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. it’s because John McCain doesn’t get it,” he said of economic problems facing the country.
Point by point, he addressed McCain’s policies on the Iraq war, the economy, offshore drilling and health care, accusing him of pursuing the same policies as the Bush administration.
He also said his judgment was better on foreign affairs, accusing McCain of turning his sights to Iraq days after the September 11 attacks when resources and attention should have been on Afghanistan.
“John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell — but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives,” he said to cheers.
Obama, who is the first African-American to lead a major party ticket, is accepting his party’s nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.
Earlier in the evening, other Democrats attacked McCain’s policies. iReport.com: Watch and share your thoughts on the speeches
Former Vice President Al Gore urged Americans to “seize the opportunity” to change course by voting for Barack Obama as president.
He reminded the audience at the Democratic National Convention of his failed bid to become president in 2000 when, he said, some believed there was so little difference between Republicans and Democrats that it did not matter who won the White House.
“Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now because 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,” Gore said.
“Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous,” he joked.
Gore suggested the election was close because people feared the change the Obama represents, and compared him and his promise to fellow Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln. Read more about the Democratic National Convention at CNN.COM
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Hot Blog: Tadias endorses Obama
What can I say that has not been already said. Obama is the man of the hour. I hope this country is ready the change we been hearing about this week because i know that my house and I are. We can’t take four more years of the same thing. We are one of the family that had to declare bankrupity because of medical problems. We almost lost our home, and now living on a fix income, we are still finding it so hard to make it. Now is the time for change, not later but now. RIGHT NOW…