by John McCormick
DENVER – Sen. Barack Obama appeared today in the city that will host the 2008 Democratic national convention, an event where he hopes to be the center of attention as his party's nominee.
"It looks like a Democratic convention crowd, except you don't have the funny hats yet," he said.
His campaign said the arena where he spoke at the University of Denver held nearly 10,000 people, but there about 8,000 more in overflow rooms and outside.
Obama honored the fallen candidates in the Democratic race, including John Edwards, who formally announced his departure this afternoon.
"We will come together after a long and hard fought primary campaign – and that’s a good thing," Obama said. "First of all, it's a good thing that we have such outstanding candidates. We've had class acts across the board. You think of people like Chris Dodd and Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich and Bill Richardson and John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, an all-star cast….It's a good thing we have had this hard-fought contest because each of us has inspired the other to do better, to communicate more clearly our vision for the future. It is through campaigns that we hear directly from the American people, we set our common goals, and debate our differences. It is through campaigns that we bring new people into the process, we build new coalitions; and renew who we are and what we stand for as a party."
But Obama's speech was not completely conciliatory, as he sought to suggest that Sen. Hillary Clinton may be too closely aligned with Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
"It is time for new leadership that understands that the way to win a debate with John McCain, or any Republican who is nominated, is not by nominating someone who agreed with him on voting for the war in Iraq, who agreed with him in voting to give George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran," Obama said. "We need to offer the American people a clear contrast on national security, and when I am the nominee of the Democratic Party, that’s exactly what I will do."
Obama also played off a line once used by Bill Clinton about building a bridge to the 21st Century.
"I know it's tempting to simply turn back the clock, to look backwards and try to build a bridge back to the 20th Century," he said. "There are those who will tell us that our party should nominate someone who is more practiced in the art of power and that’s it’s not yet our turn or our time."
Obama then described how President John F. Kennedy had once been counseled by a former president to be patient and wait his turn: "John F. Kennedy responded to Harry Truman by saying: 'The world is changing. The old ways will not do. It is time for a new generation of leadership.' That time is now.”
Obama called the campaign "an amazing race," but one that still promises lots "of twists and turns to come."
He also sought to pay homage to the West, including Colorado, one of the 22 states that will hold primaries or caucuses on Feb. 5.
"It is fitting that the journey leads to Denver – a city that is younger than the Democratic Party itself, but a city filled with the promise that the Democratic Party has always fought for, has always stood for," Obama said. "This city, built at the base of the Rocky Mountains, stands as a monument to a uniquely American belief in things unseen. Here, in Denver, fur trappers and traders; gold rushers and ranchers; came in search of opportunity, and made the future their own, carved out a new America where nobody else saw what was possible."
Caroline Kennedy introduced Obama. The daughter of President Kennedy endorsed Obama last weekend and is appearing in a television ad that features images of her father.
"It’s rare to find a leader who can inspire us to believe in ourselves, and tie that belief to our highest ideals, and make us imagine that together we can do great things," she said. "When that kind of leader comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible. That's the kind of opportunity we have this year in choosing Barack Obama."
Obama was to fly this afternoon to Arizona, another Feb. 5 state, then on to California this evening.
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Comments
What an odd headline. Doesn't really match what Senator Barack Obama said.
America should be offered a real choice on foreign policy in the general election. Senator Clinton is too similar to the hawkish Republican candidates. It would be like the Democrats nominating Senator Joe Lieberman.
To give America the option to change course on foreign policy, Barack Obama obviously the best candidate for the Democrats.
Posted by: Edward Lynch | January 30, 2008 3:50 PM
Johnny McCain - "100 years in Iraq sounds great to me"
This pic tells you all you need to know about this dumb old man.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blbushmccainhug2.htm
Posted by: John E | January 30, 2008 4:09 PM
The would-be candidate is already showing how much he fears McCain by trying to link him to Clinton. It's much easier to link Obama to, say, indicted and jailed without bail slumlord Tony Rezko.
Posted by: Jeff | January 30, 2008 4:10 PM
And that's what they said about Bush. You get stuck with the stench when you follow the bull.
Posted by: Paul | January 30, 2008 4:10 PM
Yes...it all sounded beautiful, poetic and even antagonistic towards the Clinton but...WHAT DID HE SAY? Nothing.
The poetry may work with the democrats but it is certainly not gonna work when the finals roll around.
Posted by: Lilia | January 30, 2008 4:13 PM
Now when Hillary responds back she will be called racist and Obama and his campaign will cry that she is distorting his record. He is such a hypocrite. THis is what he has done all along. Attack HIllary and then when she fights back he cries racism. That memo his campaign circulated in SC is what will cost him the rest of the states. There is an easy pattern to the Dem nominatin so far. Obama won Iowa because of IL voters who were allowed to vote there, and because IA is an extension of IL. They are all Bears/CUbs/Bulls fans in Iowa. Hillary won Nevada because she had Reid organization for her. Barrack won SC because he is black. Jessie Jackson won SC as well by an even bigger margin. Hillary won FL and Mich which are much more representative of the Feb 5 states than SC. The only true result was NH where it was really close but Hillary won in the end.
Posted by: Vinny | January 30, 2008 4:13 PM
Obama is a classic politician; Hillary at least had some hard knocks.No doubt who I will be voting - Hillary, but of course!
Posted by: Navin | January 30, 2008 4:49 PM
I was in Denver, in the crowd watching Obama. I agree, the headline does not match what I got out of the speech. I think the interesting story was that Obama myself and 18,000 of my friends to stand out in the cold to wait to hear him. All with only two days notice. Now that is the type of movement someone could tap into. Hillary Clinton has now has an uphill battle in Colorado.
Posted by: Luke Franson | January 30, 2008 4:53 PM
Lynch...should i take it that you are saying that Obama will not defend this country from terrorists? That he will not defend us and take on the terrorist? What does hawkish mean. Is this democratic code for retreat?
Posted by: denise | January 30, 2008 5:05 PM
It was an odd title, but the story needs conflict or else people won't read it. One good thing that the story does elude to is how similar John Mccain is to Hillary, or vice versa, this is why she loses to him nationally in a 1 on 1 race, because if you can have the same old thing except even older, then why not?
Posted by: David Ma | January 30, 2008 5:09 PM
Wouldn't it be interesting if we actually heard what this freshman senator pretends to hold as any qualifications and/or experience to hold the highest office of the land??
For that matter the same question is being begged of Clinton.
Only emotional wrecks of uninformed excuses for citizens would hold either of these socialists up as presidential candidates.
Posted by: Winghunter | January 30, 2008 5:14 PM
"AMERICA JUST THROWS THEIR HANDS IN THE AIR, BECAUSE PRESIDENT BUSH JUST DOESN'T CARE"
OBAMA CANNOT CHALLENGE ANYONE UNTIL HE CONFRONTS IMMIGRATION REFORM.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
EXECUTIVE ORDER
LINE ITEM VETO
UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRESIDENTIAL SIGNING STATEMENT TO PUT AMNESTY IN IMMIGRATION REFORM.
YEA, WELL CONGRESS IS FINDING OUT THAT THIS MAN DOESN'T CARE, AND HAS TAKEN THE OATH OF THE PRESIDENCY TO A KINGMANSHIP WITH NO "BALANCE OF POWER"
I THINK HE IS JUST MAD BECAUSE BLACK KIDS DIDN'T JOIN HIS GANG, AND NOW LOOKING TO JOIN OBAMA'S NEW MILITARY OR HILLARY CLINTON'S NEW AMERICA.
Posted by: Roger Morris | January 30, 2008 5:37 PM
I'm a Republican who absolutely hates President Bush and thought this could be the first election where I vote Democratic. But after hearing Hillary and Barack proposing to use our tax money to bailout irresposible borrowers (mortgages) I remembered why I am a Republican in the first place. They don't believe in personal responsibility. Thank God McCain will get the nom and not some rightwing nut.
Posted by: Lou | January 30, 2008 6:11 PM
Obama talks about bringing people together, and then slams Clinton for working with Mccain. Has he changed his mind about working together? He skipped the vote on Iran;a fact that he conveniently left out. What is it with politicians? Why is it so difficult to stick to the whole truth, and not take things out of context?
Posted by: Vivi | January 30, 2008 7:32 PM
Obama's questioning of the relevance of Hillary Clinton's type of "experience" in confronting the new challenges the United States faces receives validation from an interesting case in American history.
It also points to why Obama's outsider status might actually be just what is needed to successfully restore the U.S. to international political creditworthiness.
Lincoln biographer David Herbert Donald showed how what might have been perceived as the Great Emancipator's serious shortcomings as a war president and commander in chief actually turned out to be some of his greatest assets.
Remember, Lincoln came to the presidency having only meager experience--much less than Sen. Obama's--in public office, let alone experience in the Executive Branch. (Lincoln's experience in the military was limited to little more than two months service during the Black Hawk War.)
According to Donald, Lincoln was also fortunately unburdened by convention, precedent, and standard operating procedures in facing war's challenge. (The parallels with Obama kind of leap from the page, no?)
However, Lincoln was also a quick study who grew into greatness through trial and error in pursuing the most significant of his goals.
Lincoln also knew democracy's ancient lessons. When Cicero finished speaking, the people said, "My, how well he spoke." But when Demosthenes finished speaking the people said, "Let us march!"
"Public sentiment is everything," Lincoln noted. "With it, nothing can fail, against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever moulds public sentiment, goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions. He makes possible the enforcement of these, else impossible."
Martin Edwin Andersen, Churchton, Maryland
Posted by: Martin Edwin "Mick" Andersen | January 30, 2008 8:01 PM
All I can say to this is:
GROW UP OBAMA AND FIGHT FAIRLY NOT CHILDISHLY!!
Posted by: YaVaughn | January 30, 2008 9:19 PM
Lou,
Your party's leader already bailed out the secondary mortgage lenders and borrowers.
He also dragged us into two failed wars, endless debt, record deficits and a recession.
"Thank god McCain will get the nod and not some rightiwing nut"
Look at your right hand.....now look at your left.
Please vote for whatever clown comes out of the repugnant primary.
Not only do we not want your vote, we won't need it.
Posted by: Captain Obvious | January 30, 2008 10:27 PM
Under HILLARY socialized medicine program that will follow, Americans, particularly the elderly, would be denied medical care because a federal bureaucrat. God forbid this tragedy.
Posted by: tedwall | January 30, 2008 11:31 PM
Under Hillary socialized medicine program that will follow, Americans, particularly the elderly, would be denied medical care because a federal bureaucrat ...
Posted by: tedwall | January 30, 2008 11:34 PM
How eloquently you spoke, Martin Edwin! Barack Obama is a kin soul of poets and prophets...A lofty spirit that transcends the beastly ways of this world. Spiritual women the likes of noble laureate Tony Morrison, Oprah, Caroline Kennedy perceived and experienced the Light of his soul...and only the lofty in spirit, ready to execute the plan for real change (which starts with a new thought), could sense it. Barack Obama, a descendant of Jefferson Davis on his maternal side, an 8th cousin of Dick Chaney, with an African father,raised by his maternal white grandparents, with a half sister who is partly of Indonesian descent, a leader at Harvard Law School, with a Swahili Muslim name and Christian by faith, has made flesh the proverbial saying "variety is the spice of life", which the founding fathers postulated in "E Pluribus Unum". America is potentially the greatest Country in the world because of its diversity (a microcosm of our planet). However, American can be potentially the worse if it chooses to suppress its diversity. Barack Obama will usher a new vision of America that would be healing and transcendental. If he is elected, it will usher in the demise of arrogance and racism in our country (the planet's microcosm). Our children and the world will see in Barack Obama a man who IS and REPRESENTS all of us; and America will lead the world in the path of the Brotherhood and Sisterhood. We are family!
Posted by: Diogenes | January 30, 2008 11:36 PM
Lou! If we don't help the mortgage companies will fpld you are not helping john doe here you are helping Citi Bank and Bank of AMERICA NOW DOES THAT SOUND BETTER FOR YOUR REPUBLICAN bumb ASS!
Posted by: Rick B | January 31, 2008 1:45 AM
I was on the lacrosse field this morning and had the pleasure of seeing/hearing Baracks speech. I was blown away by the energy and excitement. Somehow a man that had 18,000 supporters show up (in a red state no less) managed to create a sense of intimacy with the crowd. This mornings rally was one of the most fulfilling things I have done in years! I hope our nation is fortunate enough to see a man like Barack Obama in the White House!
Posted by: Chris B. (Colorado Springs, CO) | January 31, 2008 3:35 AM
If I need a motivator I'll hire one. I need a president. That will be Hillary.
Posted by: connie | January 31, 2008 4:10 AM
Connie: The most influential presidents, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, were also motivators who were able to communicate new vision and ideas to the American people. A president who lacks inspiration and motivation is a burocrat and a calculating machine who will not be able to sway THE PEOPLE to a MAJORITY opinion. Congress and the presidency forever will be grid-locked; and the "purpling" (unity of the red and blue states) of America will never take place.
Posted by: Diogenes | January 31, 2008 10:06 AM
For all the Democrats, vote for the Clintons and the rest of us will be change agents when we cross party lines to vote Republican. Think about it, she will not win in November!!
Posted by: Change Agent | January 31, 2008 10:20 AM
Jeff,
Wouldn't it be much easier to link Billary to all the 90's scandals:Monica Lewinski, impeachment, shady financial deals, selling of the Lincoln bedroom,etc?
Not to mention, cheating, and crying to win elections.
Posted by: joseph pierre | January 31, 2008 3:24 PM
Good Evening Everyone!
It is very noticeable that Americans and other countries are tired of the old mentality. It would appear that the Obama critics would become intelligent and join the coalition for Change.
Posted by: Charles | February 1, 2008 1:23 PM