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Campbell Brown

Democratic National Convention Day Four

Aired August 28, 2008 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(MUSIC)
SHERYL CROW, MUSICIAN: Yes, we can. Thank you very much.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Sheryl Crow performing here before 70,000 or 75,000 delegates and friends of supporters of Barack Obama on this, the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

We're here at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver, getting ready for more entertainment. Stevie Wonder is going to be entertaining shortly.

But Al Gore is getting ready to speak. And, of course, the highlight will be Barack Obama accepting the Democratic presidential nomination.

We're bringing you all aspects of this convention, all aspects of next week's Republican Convention, because we want you, our viewers in the United States and around the world, to have a sense of what goes on at a political convention, especially on this, the final night of the convention, an historic night, as the Democratic Party nominates and the first African-American accepts, accepts the first -- accepts the Democratic nomination.

John Lewis, you see him over there, the veteran civil rights leader, with Jesse Jackson Jr., the congressman, over there. They're thrilled, because this also happens to be the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

What a coincidence on this historic night here.

We're back here. Campbell Brown is here, together with the best political team on television. John King is here, Gloria Borger.

Roland Martin, you were rocking and rolling listening to that music.

(LAUGHTER)

BLITZER: We have it all on videotape.

David Brody, our contributor from the Christian Broadcasting Network.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: He was rocking, too, now.

BLITZER: You know what? We have analysts in New York at the CNN Election Center as well. I want to bring some of them in right now and assess what we have just seen, including Bill Bennett, who -- many of our viewers might not know this.

He was once the secretary of energy, secretary of education. He's written historical books, encyclopedias, almost.

But, Bill Bennett, you also happen to be a connoisseur of rock and roll.

BILL BENNETT, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I do.

BLITZER: What do you think -- this is a serious question -- about inter -- mixing in rock 'n' roll, good music, at a political convention like this?

BENNETT: I think it's great. I think it's great. I can't dissent. It's great music, John Legend, Sheryl Crow. But it's not over. There's another side.

CNN is in the danger of being absorbed tonight by MTV. But, next week, it's CMT, Wolf, country music, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood.

(CROSSTALK)

BENNETT: Martina McBride, not the Dixie Chicks, Carl, no.

Trace Adkins. And that's part of America, too. It's a great country. It's a great country. All the music is great. I love it.

BLITZER: We love all the music, too. And whether it's classic rock 'n' roll or country, next week, we will be hearing a lot, as you say, at the Republican Convention in Saint Paul. We will bring that to our viewers as well.

Carl Bernstein, David Gergen, among others, Jeff Toobin, they're there as well. So, we're getting ready to discuss.

Let me bring you in, David Gergen, and get your thoughts on what we're seeing so far, on this, the final night.

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I won't compete with Bill Bennett, and even Roland Martin and Carl Bernstein on the music. I leave that to you guys.

But I do think that the early introduction of the themes of Martin Luther King and the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the speech I think really helped to frame the evening.

But I have to tell you that, for all of the wonderful on the floor and how much pride there is, what we're facing tonight is whether, as Barack Obama has said, this Joshua generation that he represents, the Moses leading people out and Joshua trying to find the promised land, whether the promised land can be reached this year.

I must tell you, Jeffrey Toobin said a few minutes ago that Barack Obama is expected to win this. I don't think that's at all clear. And it seems to me that race is an issue that remains in this campaign, and that for all the people who celebrate the breakthroughs in race tonight, there are others for whom it does remain an uncertainty.

And it seems to me the drama of America is how we make progress. But it's not easy. It's often a winding road. It's often torturous. And I do think that Barack Obama and the women we have seen who are coming forward now in the Republican Party, too, I think the diversity we are seeing in both parties is the future. But whether the country is ready to embrace this young African-American man as president I think is still not at all clear.

BLITZER: Let me go back to Jeffrey Toobin, then.

Jeffrey, you heard what David just said. What do you think?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, do I know who is going to win the election? No, I certainly don't.

The fact is, Obama does have a slight lead in the polls, which doesn't tell you a lot, but it tells you that he's certainly more than competitive.

I would just like to make one note about all the talk about Martin Luther King and the 45th anniversary. Notice that that's early in the evening, far away from Barack Obama. Closer to Barack Obama, we are going to be hearing from people in the military. We're going to be hearing from people about national security. We're going to be hearing from Susan Eisenhower, the granddaughter of the former president.

Barack Obama is not going to be embracing the mantle of Martin Luther King. He's going let other people do that for him. He's going to be about the vast majority of people he has to reach out to. So, I think the timing of when this tribute took place is significant tonight.

BLITZER: That's going open up a whole discussion over here, Jeffrey, so stand by, because I know Roland Martin, among others, are going to want to weigh in, Carl Bernstein as well.

Let's take a quick break, because we're only getting started right now. Stay with us.

Remember, CNNPolitics.com, that's where you can go there and get all of the information you need. Plus, you can see all of what is happening behind me. We're streaming live video of everything up on the podium.

Our coverage continues from Denver right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We're here in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. This place is really filling up right now. They have been waiting, Campbell, for a long time to get in. And still there are along lines, still seats are available, but it's going to be...

CAMPBELL BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Only a few seats available.

BLITZER: It's only a few, but it's going to be packed when the night is done. By the time Barack Obama delivers his acceptance speech, the place certainly will be packed.

Take a look. These are just some of the lines that are still awaiting people trying to get inside this Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium, people coming in from all over the area, all over the state and beyond. They want to be part, they want to be eyewitnesses to this history. And you're seeing those pictures coming in.

I want Roland Martin weigh in no what we just heard on Barack Obama -- you heard Jeffrey Toobin say he's going to be speaking a long time, relatively speaking, after the tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King that we saw, very moving tribute, John Lewis speaking, Martin Luther King III speaking.

I want you to react to what Jeffrey was just saying.

MARTIN: Well, first of all, I don't think there's any correlation between when something came in the program and to when Senator Barack Obama is going to be speaking. That's first and foremost.

One of the things that we have to recognize, when you look at that 1963 speech...

BLITZER: Hold on a second. I think we're having some trouble with your audio right now. But -- all right, actually, we fixed it. Go ahead.

MARTIN: All right.

I don't think there's a correlation as to, well, when the certain tributes were done and then when he's going to be speaking.

Anybody who has studied that 1963 speech, first of all, it was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. OK? So, if you talk about the economy now, there's a tie-in.

In that same speech -- we always focus on the bottom third -- look at the top two-thirds. Well, he talked in that speech about the economic realities in America, the gap that exists between people.

What Obama will likely do in his speech will be talk about the gap that exists when it comes to this economy, when it comes to those who are rich and those who are poor, hit them with middle-class values.

Anybody who has actually listened to the entire speech will recognize it was a speech dealing with the Constitution and the economics and how it affects Americans as a whole. BROWN: And, Gloria, the campaign talked about how he was taking inspiration from Bill Clinton's '92 speech dealing with that, middle- class issues.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Exactly.

I spoke with a campaign adviser today who said, look, this speech is going to be more programmatic than soaring. Barack Obama did not run largely as an African-American candidate. He ran as somebody talking about the middle class. And I think you're going to hear him of course recognize Dr. King. But his speech is going to be to all Americans this evening.

BLITZER: David Brody, I want you to weigh in as well, because you have been thinking about this.

DAVID BRODY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I have got to tell you, a few months ago, I spoke to Barack Obama, and I asked him about the concern that there's many black conservatives, African-American conservatives in this country, and they're talking about what they're going to do exactly.

Do they vote their values? or do they vote for this historic moment in time? And so there's a real concern about where they should go. And Barack Obama told me simply this, that people should vote their values. Don't vote necessarily for the historic moment that we're seeing tonight.

BLITZER: All right, John King, you have been watching this and this debate, in a sense that he running for president of the United States. Is he perhaps not stressing enough the African-American heritage? Is he going too far on that front? How does that play out in some of these battleground states?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a fascinating question. And you get different answers at different stages of the campaign.

Remember, we talked to the Reverend Jesse Jackson earlier, who had an argument with Barack Obama, saying Barack Obama was lecturing the African-American community about responsibility, and not saying here's what I would do to help with poverty and other issues in the community.

At the same time, Barack Obama has said throughout the campaign, I want to be judged by who I am. And, yes, I am an African-American, but that's not only who I am. I'm a senator. I'm a community organizer. Judge me on my record, not just the color of my skin.

But, to be honest, make no mistake about it. They believe they are competitive in some places they otherwise would not be because, they believe, his deeper support in the African-American community and the excitement that will generate higher turnout.

They say, in Florida alone, 600,000 registered African-Americans did not vote in the last election. They believe, if they can get 100,000 or 200,000 of those to turn out, that could turn the state of Florida. So, he says judge me as a candidate and, yes, I'm a black man, but, certainly, politically, they do see advantages and disadvantages to the race question.

BLITZER: All right, guys, hold on a second, because we want to take a quick break.

When we come back, we will hear some of Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico. He's going to be speaking. Stand by. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our continuing coverage. We're here in Denver, Colorado.

We're here watching history unfolding at this convention.

Campbell, this has been an exciting night so far, but as Al Gore gets ready to speak, as Barack Obama gets ready for his acceptance speech, let's listen in briefly to Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: John McCain called our recession psychological. His economic advisers say American families are whiners.

But, when the oil companies whine, John McCain says they need more tax breaks. Barack Obama says it's time for that to end.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: No more -- no more economic policies that send jobs overseas, that cripple our industries, that depress real wages, and sacrifice our workers.

It's time to put American workers first and rebuild the middle class with a president who supports unions and the rights of workers to organize.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: That's the change America needs.

I have a question for you. Is anybody here going to miss Dick Cheney?

AUDIENCE: No!

RICHARDSON: Joe Biden is going to be truly a great vice president of the United States.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) RICHARDSON: Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must fight the terrorists, not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be, like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: We must lead a global effort to secure loose nuclear materials, not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be, like in Russia.

And, finally, we need a president who, in his first day in office, says this, "I will follow and uphold and respect the Constitution of the United States," and then actually does it, a president who respects civil liberties, stops spying on Americans, and protects a woman's right to choose...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: ... a president who respects the Bill of Rights, who shuts down Guantanamo, and stops torture, and stops torture.

We must do all of this, not because these are American ideals, but because we know they are.

(SPEAKING SPANISH)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: My fellow citizens, John McCain served his country in war. We honor his service, but that doesn't mean we have to make him president.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: At a time when America needs change and not more of the same, America needs Barack Obama.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

RICHARDSON: I have a question for America and my fellow delegates.

Are you ready to take our country back?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

RICHARDSON: Are we going to win this election...

AUDIENCE: Yes!

RICHARDSON: ... for America's future? Let's do it!

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: The governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, he had hoped he would be the vice presidential nominee. That didn't happen. He now has to work hard to make sure that New Mexico is delivered for Barack Obama. The polls there showing right now -- at least our CNN/"TIME" magazine/Opinion Research Corporation poll showing that Obama is ahead by about 13 points in New Mexico. But that is obviously relatively early.

Campbell Brown is here with us. We're -- we have got an excellent panel of experts.

Let me go to Hilary Rosen right now, our Democratic strategist.

As you look forward, Hilary, I want you to weigh in on what Barack Obama needs to do tonight to reassure a lot of those undecided voters in those key battleground states that he should be the next president.

HILARY ROSEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, he has to do two things.

He has to first inoculate against what are sure to be eviscerating attacks next week that he is not ready to be commander in chief. And he's already given us a hint in some of the advance we have gotten from his speech. He's going to say, you think Democrats cannot secure this country. We're the party of Kennedy. We're the party of Roosevelt. We can do this.

The second thing he's got to do is answer the call from some of those folks who say, I need some more meat on what actually change brings. I need to know more about, OK, how are you going help us our with jobs, how are you going to bring health insurance to be a reality? Tell us what this process argument translates in to.

BROWN: And, Michael, how do you give a soaring speech to a crowd like this of almost 80,000 people and deliver what Hilary is saying, which is a little more of the nuts and bolts, especially on issues like the economy?

MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, like any great preacher, you have got to get them in your hands first.

So, you have got to start with the elegance and the eloquence. You start with the rousements, firing them up. And then, when you begin to coast a bit, you put in the nuts and bolts. Any great orator, as Obama aspires to be and truly has been, understands that you have got to reach the emotions of the people first.

And, then, after converting their wills, you begin to articulate a vision that is high. This is the 45th anniversary of the March on Washington and the great speech Martin Luther King gave. He will have to dust off the dusty catacombs of American rhetoric and extract from them nuggets of tremendous rhetoric that will fire the people up and then give them specifics of what Hilary has spoken about.

BLITZER: You have written about Dr. Martin Luther King.

DYSON: Yes. BLITZER: You wrote a terrific book on the whole subject. Can Barack Obama deliver a speech -- tough question -- along the lines of Dr. Martin Luther King?

DYSON: He shouldn't try.

Martin Luther King, when he began that speech, "Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation," it was a bit wooden for Martin Luther King. Anybody else, A-plus -- for King, maybe a C.

Standing in the shadows was Mahalia Jackson. She said, "Tell them about the dream, Martin." And like any good black woman who says, you ain't doing right, do better, Martin Luther King let go of that script, and then he soared.

So, I think that what Barack Obama has to do -- King was trying to match, obviously, Abraham Lincoln. He must not match Martin Luther King Jr., but extend him. And, when he does that, I think he will be able to pull it off.

BORGER: This is a political speech, Wolf. John McCain has been trying to define Barack Obama.

Tonight, Barack Obama, not only has to tell the public about himself, but he has got to define John McCain and talk about their differences in terms of what they would do for the country.

BLITZER: All right.

We're standing by. Al Gore is getting ready to speak, and, later, Barack Obama himself. That will be the highlight of this convention.

BROWN: Hey, Stevie Wonder. What do you mean?

BLITZER: But Stevie Wonder is coming up. That's right.

BROWN: Don't forget Stevie Wonder.

BLITZER: I was about to say -- Campbell, I was about to say...

BROWN: The highlight.

BLITZER: ... but Stevie Wonder is coming up next -- right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our continuing coverage of the Democratic National Convention.

We're getting ready to hear from Stevie Wonder. He is about to start performing. Once he does, we will bring that to you live.

It underscores some of the flavor of what is going on, political speeches, as well as a little bit entertainment.

In fact, Stevie Wonder is being introduced right now.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... fear can't put dreams to sleep.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

STEVIE WONDER, SINGER: I love you, mama in heaven. Praise God. I love you.

With every song that I've sang, know that I love you.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

BLITZER: Thanks to Stevie Wonder. A personal highlight for me. I think from a lot of the thousands of people here in front.

BROWN: He actually got you out of your chair, too, for a little.

BLITZER: You know what, viewers didn't see that but that's good enough.

BROWN: A little dancing by Wolf Blitzer and Donna Brazile.

BLITZER: It was a fun moment when you get into the dance.

BROWN: I thought there was a camera rolling on that somewhere.

BLITZER: You were moving, Campbell. You were moving around.

BROWN: Of course. It's Stevie Wonder.

BLITZER: You weren't just sitting around there.

All right. Let's take a quick break. Al Gore -- he's getting ready to speak here in Denver. Al Gore. He'll be followed by the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama.

Much more of our coverage coming up. Remember, CNNpolitics.com. You can see everything stream live at CNNpolitics.com. Much more of our coverage from Denver right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to our coverage here at the Democratic National Convention. We're at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado. The next speaker, the former vice president of the United States, Al Gore. He's being introduced right now.

ANNOUNCER: Vice President Al Gore.

MUSIC: Let the sun shine. Let the sun shine. Let the sun shine in. Let the sun shine. Let the sun shine.

Let the sun shine in. Let the sun shine. Let the sun shine.

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. What an amazing crowd. Thank you for this warm welcome. Thank you so much.

One of the greatest gifts of our democracy is the opportunity it offers us every four years to change course. It's not a guarantee. It's only an opportunity.

The question facing us simply put, is will we seize this opportunity for a change? That's why I came here tonight to tell you why I feel so strongly that we must seize this opportunity to elect Barack Obama president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn't really matter who became president. Our nation was enjoying peace and prosperity and some assumed we would continue with both no matter the outcome. But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn't matter.

Take it from me. If it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq. We would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him.

(APPLAUSE)

We wouldn't be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis. We'd be fighting for middle-income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution. We'd be protecting the rights of every American, regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

(APPLAUSE)

And we would not be denying the climate crisis. We'd be solving the climate crisis.

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.

The same policies? Those policies all over again? Hey, I believe in recycling but that's ridiculous.

(APPLAUSE)

With John McCain's support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to facts, their readiness to sacrifice the long term to the short term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few, and short circuit the rule of law.

If you like the Bush-Cheney approach, John McCain is your man. If you believe it's time for a change, then vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

(APPLAUSE)

What a great speech Joe Biden gave last night. Barack Obama is telling us exactly what he will do. Launch a bold new economic plan to restore America's greatness. Fight for smarter government that trusts the market but protects us against its excesses. Enact policies that are pro-choice, pro-education and pro-family. Establish a foreign policy that is smart as well as strong. Provide health care for all and solutions for the climate crisis.

So why is this election so close? Well, I know something about close elections so let me offer you my opinion.

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

(APPLAUSE)

There is no better example than the climate crisis. As I have said throughout this land for many years, we're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in waste that destroy the future of human civilization. Every bit of that has to change.

(APPLAUSE)

Oil company profits, as you know, have soared to record levels and gasoline prices have gone through the roof, and we are more dependent than ever on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels.

Many scientists predict shockingly that the entire north polar ice cap may be completely gone during summer months during the first term of the next president. Sea levels are rising. Fires are raging. Storms are stronger.

Military experts warn us our national security is threatened by massive waves of climate refugees, destabilizing countries around the world. And scientists tell us the very web of life is endangered by unprecedented extinctions.

We are facing a planetary emergency, which if not solved, would exceed anything we've ever experienced in the history of humankind.

In spite of John McCain's past record of open-mindedness and leadership on the climate crisis, he has now apparently allowed his party to browbeat him into abandoning his support of mandatory caps on global warming pollution.

And it just so happens that the climate crisis is intertwined with the other two great challenges facing our nation -- reviving our economy and strengthening our national security. The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fuels.

(APPLAUSE)

Instead of letting lobbyists and polluters control our destiny, we need to invest in American innovation. Almost a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison, our most famous inventor, said, "I would put my money on the sun and solar energy." "What a source of power," he continued. I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.

Well, now, in 2008, we have everything we need to start using the sun, the wind, geothermal power, conservation and efficiency to solve the climate crisis. Everything, that is, except a president in the White House who inspires us to believe, yes, we can.

(APPLAUSE)

Now we know how to fix that. So how did this no-brainer become a brain twister?

Because the carbon fuels industry, big oil and coal have a 50- year lease on the Republican Party and they're drilling it for everything it's worth. And this same industry has spent $0.5 billion this year alone trying to convince the public that they're actually solving the problem when they're, in fact, making it worse every single day.

This administration and the special interests who control that lock, stock and barrel after barrel, have performed this same sleight of hand on issue after issue. Some of the best marketers have the worst products, and this is certainly true of today's Republican Party.

The party itself has on its rolls men and women of great quality. But the last eight years demonstrate that the special interests who have come to control the Republican Party are so powerful that serving them and serving the national well-being are now irreconcilable choices.

So what can we do about it? We can carry Barack Obama's message of hope and change to every family in America and pledge that we'll be there for him. Not only in the heat of this election but in the aftermath as we put his agenda to work for our country.

We can tell Republicans and independents, as well as Democrats, exactly why our nation so badly needs a change from the approach of Bush, Cheney and McCain. After they wrecked our economy, it's time for a change. After they abandoned the search for the terrorist who attacked us and redeployed the troops to invade a nation that did not attack us, it's time for a change.

(APPLAUSE)

After they abandoned the principle first laid down by General George Washington when he prohibited the torture of captives because it would bring in his words, shame, disgrace and ruin to our nation, it's time for a change. When as many as three Supreme Court justices could be appointed in the first term of the next president, and John McCain promises to appoint more Scalias and Thomases, and end a woman's right to choose, it is time for a change.

(APPLAUSE)

Many people have been waiting for some sign that our country is ready for such a change. How will we know when it's beginning to take hold?

I think we might recognize it as a sign of such change if we saw millions of young people getting involved for the first time in the political process.

(APPLAUSE)

This election is actually not close at all among younger voters. You are responding in unprecedented numbers to Barack Obama's message of change and hope. You recognize that he represents a clean break from the politics of partisanship and bitter division. You understand that the politics of the past are exhausted.

And you're tired. We're all tired of appeals based on fear.

You know that America is capable of better than what we have seen in recent years, and you're hungry for a new politics based on bipartisan respect for the ageless principles embodied in the United States Constitution.

(APPLAUSE)

There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon awakening to the challenge of a present danger, checking off complacency and rising clear eyed and alert to the necessity of embracing change.

A century and a half ago, when America faced our greatest triumph, the end of one era gave way to the birth of another. The candidate who emerged victorious in that election is now regarded by most historians as our greatest president.

Before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln's experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature in Springfield, Illinois, and one term in Congress. During which, he showed courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country in a war that was popular when it was started but later condemned by history.

The experience that Lincoln supporters valued most in that race was his powerful ability to inspire hope in the future at a time of impasse. He was known chiefly as a clear thinker, and a great orator with a passion for justice and a determination to heal the deep divisions of our land. He insisted on reaching past partisan and regional divides to exult our humanity.

In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition.

Barack Obama had the experience and wisdom to oppose a popular war based on faulty premises. His leadership experience has given him a unique capacity to inspire hope in the promise of the American dream of a boundless future. His experience has also given him genuine respect for different views and humility in the face of complex realities that cannot be squeezed into the narrow compartments of ideology.

His experience has taught him something that career politicians often overlook. That inconvenient truths must be acknowledged if we were to have wise governance.

(APPLAUSE)

And the extraordinary strength of his personal character and that of his wonderful wife, Michelle, who gave such a magnificent address and will be such a wonderful first lady for our country, their strength of character is grounded in the strengths of the American community.

Barack Obama's vision and his voice represent the best of America. His life experience embodies the essence of our motto, "E pluribus unum," out of many, one. That is the linking identity at the other end of all the hyphens that pervade our modern political culture.

It is that common American identity which Barack Obama exemplifies heart and soul. That enables us, as Americans, to speak with moral authority to all of the peoples of the world to inspire hope that we, as human beings, can transcend our limitations to redeem the promise of human freedom.

Late this evening, our convention will end with a benediction. As we bow in reverence, remember the words of the old proverb, "When you pray, move your feet." And then let us leave here tonight and take that message of hope from Denver to every corner of our land and do everything we can to serve our nation, our world, and our children and their future by electing Barack Obama, president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

(MUSIC)