Obama’s acceptance of the Democratic Party’s nomination for president tonight is said to be the premier event of the Democratic National Convention, but for now, Day 3 has had it all.
Bill Clinton gave a rousing speech exalting Obama, Joe Biden gave a speech slamming McCain, and Barack Obama made a surprise visit to the Pepsi Center in what seemed to be a perfect night in Denver where Democrats couldn’t possibly have asked for more.
Former President Bill Clinton walked into the spotlight at the DNC yesterday and promptly gave it up, yielding attention instead to Democratic Party’s presidential nominee Barack Obama. Obama made history earlier in the day by officially becoming the first black candidate for presidency and Clinton was quick to praise him.
“I am here first to support Barack Obama,” Clinton said after a defeating and seemingly endless standing ovation that saw a helpless Clinton begging the crowd to sit down and urging, “we gotta get on with the show now.”
Clinton’s speech came the night after his wife Hillary’s critically acclaimed and electrifying remarks calling for all Democrats, including her supporters, to vote for Obama.
“Last night Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she is going to do everything in her power to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us,” said Clinton.
Clinton’s commendation of Obama comes amid rumors that the Clintons-Obama feud has lingered into Denver and the DNC. But Obama campaign Chief Strategist David Axelrod denied this was the case, and even said that the drama was non-existent.
During Hillary’s failed campaign for president, Bill Clinton took exception to some of the attacks Obama had against Hillary Clinton, calling them “quite personal.”
Whatever animosity Bill Clinton has had or has now against Obama was put aside Wednesday night to firmly support the Illinois senator.
“Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world,” said Clinton. “Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.”
President Clinton also lauded Joe Biden, Obama’s pick for vice president.
“In his first presidential decision, the selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park,” he said. “With Joe Biden, America will have the national security leadership she needs.”
Fighting Back
Bill Clinton didn’t hesitate to offer retorts to McCain’s and others’ frequent criticisms of Obama.
Regarding Obama’s alleged inexperience, Clinton compared the junior Senator to himself in 1992, when he was running for his first term as President.
“They used to say I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander in Chief. It didn’t work in 1992 because we were on the right side of history. And it won’t work in 2008 because Barack Obama is on the right side of history,” said the ex-President from 1993-2001.
On the issue of foreign policy, Clinton reiterated that “Obama will choose diplomacy first and military intervention as a last resort. But he will stand up to adversaries.”
The key, Clinton said, is that, “People around the world have always been more impressed with the power of our example, than the example of our power,” a jab at what Clinton called McCain and Bush’s unilateral policies.
In the end, Clinton began echoing the Obama campaign’s mantra of hope.
“If like me, you believe that America should be a place called hope,” Clinton stated. “Then .....elect Barack Obama.”
Not to be outdone, Obama’s running mate Joe Biden continued the assault on Republican John McCain and his bid for president.
Speaking in a calm and reserved voice, he began by discussing his upbringing, his family’s impact on his values, and his struggles with stuttering when he was a child.
But that quiet voice quickly turned strong and firm when he led anti-McCain chants of “That’s not change, that’s more of the same.”
On minimum wage, renewable, energy, spending on Iraq and more issues, John McCain’s judgment has failed the American people, the Senator from Delaware said. Our America today is “the same America if George… excuse me, John McCain is elected President,” Biden said to laughter at what he called an innocent “Freudian slip.”
“Barack is ready,” Biden said, echoing Clinton’s words only minutes earlier. “This is his time. This is our time. This is America’s time. God Bless America and America’s troops.”
As Biden finished his address, the crowd was applauding, but went into a frenzy when they saw Obama come on stage to join his second-in-command.
After motioning to the crowd, Obama lent credence to and had pleasant things to say about Biden and the Clintons.
“I want everyone to now understand why I am so proud to have Joe Biden and [Joe’s son] Beau Biden and Momma Biden and the whole Biden family on the journey to take America back,” Obama said to raucous applause.
Continuing on, Obama said of his former rival in the presidential race, “If I’m not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house last night.”
And of the former president, he asserted, “I think President Bill Clinton reminded us all of when we have a president that actually puts people first.”
Obama will speak at the open-air stadium Invesco Field in Denver tonight.
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