Obama set to woo nation with historic speech

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-28 16:41

DENVER - Barack Obama stands before delegates and the nation Thursday - the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech - to accept the Democratic presidential nomination, the first black man to claim such a prize.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, joins his running mate, Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., on stage after Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008. [Agencies]

The drama of his long, emotional primary struggle against Hillary Rodham Clinton behind him at last, Obama's long-awaited convention speech will propel him into a tough sprint to Election Day, a mere nine weeks away.

Obama's march into history will be coupled with a modern-day technological effort to get most of the 75,000 packed into Invesco Field at Mile High stadium to form the world's largest phone bank - text-messaging thousands more to boost voter registration for the fall.

Any edge is imperative as polls show a close race between Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the bid to become the nation's 44th president, succeeding George W. Bush.

Obama accepts his party's nod on a day few could ever imagine decades ago, when King fought for civil rights.

"This is a monumental moment in our nation's history," Martin Luther King III, the civil rights icon's oldest son, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "And it becomes obviously an even greater moment in November if he's elected."

Obama was just 2 years old when King addressed a sea of people on the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. The civil rights leader proclaimed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, "I have a dream, that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"

Obama, known for his stirring oratory, has been trying to lower expectations for his acceptance speech. Senior strategist David Axelrod said Obama would lay out a case for sweeping political change and illustrate the choice voters face between his candidacy and that of McCain.

"His goal is to talk to the American people about the challenges we face and what we need to do to solve them, and the stakes of continuing to do what we are doing," Axelrod said. "I will leave it to others to decide the inspiration factor."

Adding a touch of celebrity to the convention's final night, singers Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and will.i.am were scheduled to perform, with Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson singing the national anthem.

After days of suspense over whether Clinton supporters would fall in line behind Obama when the roll call of the states was called, it all fell into place in the end for Obama.

Delegates in dozens of states were allowed to apportion their votes between Obama and the former first lady before Clinton herself stepped forward to propose that Obama be declared the nominee by acclamation.

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