Obama closes with 'Fired up, Ready to go'

By John McCormick

MANASSAS, Va. - On the eve of the presidential election, Sen. Barack Obama reached back to the roots of his campaign to tell an inspirational story that had long ago fallen from his routine.

The story is about a long drive, a rainy day and how one person can make a difference. It was inspired by a woman he met during a visit to a small South Carolina town in 2007 and became a favorite during his Iowa caucus campaign.

It ends with Obama leading a cheer of "Fired up, Ready to Go!"

The Illinois Democrat had not told it much since the South Carolina primary. He last brought the story out in mid-October, in New York City, during a fundraiser that included performances from Bruce Springsteen and Bill Joel.

Edith Childs of Greenwood, S.C., is the woman who inspired the story. Obama had met her during a campaign appearance back when the Democratic nomination - much less the presidency - looked like a long shot.

A crowd here that his campaign said totaled 90,000 chanted along to end what was the last rally of Obama's nearly 21-month presidential campaign.

"This is the last rally of a campaign that began almost two years ago," he said. "We've gone to every corner of this country."

Obama did not specifically mention the death of his grandmother, a loss he learned about early in the day. "Sometimes when I've been down, you have lifted me up," he told the crowd.

He encouraged his supporters to make calls, knock on doors and get their friends and relatives to the polls.

"Even if it rains tomorrow, you can't let that stop you," he said. "We are going to change American, Virginia, starting tomorrow."

(Some file video of Obama telling the story in Iowa in September 2007 is linked here.)