Surrounded by 75,000 of his closest friends and awash in Colorado twilight, Barack Obama made history Thursday night as he accepted his party’s nomination for president.
His soaring speech, fed by the energy of thousands of adoring fans piled into Invesco Field, was part promise, part assurance to nervous Americans, part substance and part attack on his opponent, John McCain.
“Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land — enough,” Obama said. “This moment — this election — is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.
“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”
The speech was Obama’s chance to speak directly to those would-be voters concerned over his different- sounding name, his background and his lack of legislative experience. Mostly, he scored on all points.
Addressing a country divided by war and teetering on the brink of recession, he tied McCain to the failed policies of President Bush, saying McCain just doesn’t get it.
Dogged for months over concerns that he’s not prepared to lead the country, Obama spoke in strong, striking tones about the role he would play as commander in chief.
“I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.”
He was mostly respectful of McCain, which is good if you want to appear presidential, but it was clear he won’t yield national security to Republicans, saying he was ready to debate his opponent on the issue.
“I get it,” he said. “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.”
Hoping to keep Hillary Clinton voters from straying and to win over those middle-of-the-road Americans, he poked holes in McCain’s maverick image, saying he votes with the president 90 percent of the time.
“It’s time for them to own their failure, and it’s time for us to change America,” he said, as he intertwined stories of real Americans from hardscrabble streets with his own life.
His flawlessly delivered speech was also a promise to Americans. A promise to wean America off foreign oil in 10 years, to give health care to all Americans and to make college more affordable.
This night wasn’t a time to deliver a 10-point policy plan, but Obama did provide some specifics.
Obama is one of this country’s most gifted speakers, and this was one of his finest works. But all that matters is how it played at home.
