Barack Obama has accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with an impassioned speech outlining his vision for America's future, writes Denis Staunton in Denver.
Speaking for almost an hour in a speech delivered to more than 80,000 people at Denver’s Mile High stadium, Mr Obama answered all the main Republican charges against him, including his lack of experience and suggested that electing John McCain would be to usher in a third term for the policies of President George Bush.
“Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90 per cent of the time?” he said.
Mr Obama’s speech, which was preceded by a biographical video stressing his commitment to American values, received a rapturous response from the flag-waving crowd, many of whom had queued for more than two hours to enter the stadium.
He began by setting out the challenges faced by the United States, including a struggling economy, growing inequality and a dependence on foreign oil.
“These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush,” he said.
“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”
He accused Mr McCain of remaining tethered to a conservative ideology that failed to address the problems faced by ordinary Americans and of being out of touch with their concerns.
“It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care. It’s because John McCain doesn’t get it,” he said.
“For over two decades, he’s subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy – give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is – you’re on your own.”
Mr Obama, who has faced criticism for being vague about policy specifics and of relying on soaring rhetoric rather than offering practical solutions, sought last night to spell out what his presidency would achieve.
He promised to end tax breaks for companies that move jobs offshore, to end US reliance on oil from the Middle East within 10 years and to introduce universal health care.
“Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who’s willing to work,” he said.
“That’s the promise of America – the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper.”
In response to claims that, after less than one term as a US senator, he lacks the experience needed to lead his country, Mr Obama said he represented an urge for change that was spreading through the US.
“I realise that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree, and I haven’t spent my career in the halls of Washington,” he said.
“But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s been about you.”