Obama claims the Democratic presidential nomination

BARACK OBAMA claimed the Democratic presidential nomination, moving onward in his quest to become the first black US president and asking Americans to join him in saying "enough" to Republican leadership of the country.

Standing on Thursday night before more than 84,000 supporters in a Denver sports stadium, with millions more watching on television, Obama answered criticism from Republican rival John McCain as he brought the four-day Democratic National Convention to an end.

It is now up to voters to decide whether Obama can pull away from McCain, with whom he has been running neck-and-neck after a summer of relentless attacks from the veteran senator.

Obama said his mission was to restore "that American promise that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend."

He vowed to cut taxes "for 95 percent of all working families," to end American dependence on Middle East oil in 10 years, and to spend 150 million and create 5 million jobs over 10 years working on renewable energy sources.

Obama further renewed his promise to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq in 16 months and to negotiate from strength with America's foes. He took a sarcastic jab at McCain over Osama bin Laden, the author of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, arguing that the candidate's support of the Iraq war ignores Afghanistan.

"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," Obama said.

McCain's spokesman was quick with a rebuttal.

"Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds. "The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be president."

In an audacious move, McCain sought to steal some of the political spotlight by spreading word that he had settled on a vice presidential running mate, although he offered no details.

After Obama's address, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lavishly endorsed Obama in a Tuesday night speech, lauded the first-term Illinois senator for laying "out his specific, bold solutions and optimistic vision for our nation and our children's future.

"His speech crystallized the clear choice between he and Senator McCain. Four more years of the same failed policies or a leader who can tackle the great challenges we face: revitalizing our economy and restoring our standing in the world."

Obama pressed relentlessly with his theme that a McCain presidency would represent nothing more than four more years of the policies of the deeply unpopular President George W. Bush.

"Tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land – enough!"

Obama aligned himself with the frustrations of working-class Americans, whose votes went heavily to Clinton in their extended and occasionally bitter primary contest. His fate on Election Day Nov. 4 may lie with
such voters.

"We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma," Obama said.

Throughout the day Thursday, Democrats watched reports that McCain had made up his mind on a running mate, a decision – had it been made public – that could have stolen some of the Democrats' show.

Speculation fell largely on Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who cancelled all scheduled appearances for the next two days. McCain was expected to appear with his vice presidential ticket mate at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday.

Obama's speech accepting the nomination came on the 45th anniversary of one of the most historic events in the American civil rights movement: Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

He declared America had reached a similarly "defining moment, a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more."

"America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this," he said.

Obama did not dwell on the King speech anniversary, in keeping with his campaign's attempt to prevent his candidacy from being defined by his race and attempting to appeal widely to the American electorate.

At the convention, both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, made powerful appeals for the party to line up behind Obama. And a speech by Michelle Obama, the candidate's wife, highlighted his traditional values, subtly countering rumors that he is a black radical or a Muslim.

Sen. Joseph Biden, Obama's running mate and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke favorably of Obama's national security credentials, a target of McCain, a former prisoner of war.

Obama's speech was a return to a setting where he became a national star. He was a little-known Illinois state legislator running for the US Senate when he delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

He won that race and, two years later, began his improbable quest for the Democratic nomination, defeating presumed frontrunner Clinton with his message of change.

On Thursday he was lauded by another popular Democratic figure, former Vice President Al Gore, who was awarded a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change.

Gore joined Obama in saying McCain's election as president would be little more than a continuation of Bush's policies.

"Hey, I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous," he said.

On Friday, Obama, Biden and their wives begin a three-day bus tour of critical northern industrial states.

A Gallup poll taken during the first three days of the convention showed Obama regaining his lead over McCain, 48 percent to 42 percent. Candidates generally receive a bounce from their conventions, and the figures could tilt in McCain's direction after Republicans hold their convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, next week.

Obama said he wanted to give his acceptance speech at a large sports stadium so many supporters, not just party insiders attending the convention, could attend. Several celebrities performed, including singers Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and will.i.am.

Republicans were quick to deride the stage setting of Roman columns as one that befitted a celebrity, a theme they used when Obama drew tens of thousands for an appearance in Berlin.

"This Roman-like facade, a facade with Roman columns, is a perfect metaphor or icon for the point that it's an interesting production, but behind it there's not much there," Pawlenty, the Minnesota governor, told ABC television.