Keynote speaker Barack Obama, candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois, addressed delegates yesterday at the Democratic National Convention at the FleetCenter in Boston.
O-bam!-a
Isle-bred Barack Obama
wows 'em at Democratic
National ConventionThe U.S. Senate candidate's message
of unity brings attendees to their feet
BOSTON >> Offering his own life as an example of uniquely American possibilities, Barack Obama -- the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya -- drew roars of approval from Democrats last night, saying Americans must not allow "spin masters and negative ad peddlers" to divide the country.
"I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there's the United States of America," said the 42-year-old, Hawaii-born candidate for a Senate seat from Illinois. The energized crowd -- some chanting his name -- cheered the convention keynoter and waved blue-and-white Obama signs.
He said people don't expect government to solve all their problems but sometimes do need help.
"They sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all," Obama said in his keynote address.
He said John Kerry would provide that change at home -- and lead America into war abroad only when absolutely necessary.
"When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going," Obama said in a jab at President Bush, "and to never -- ever -- go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace and earn the respect of the world."
The crowd leapt to its feet in cheers.
Obama's father was a goat herder in Africa who won a scholarship to study in America. He described his mother's youth in Kansas, raised by a couple who built a good life with educations they obtained through the GI Bill and a home they got with a federal loan.
"My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation," Obama said.
Obama would become the Senate's only black member, and only the fifth black senator in history, if elected this fall. The Harvard-educated Obama is a state senator who teaches law at the University of Chicago.
His prospects for the fall look good, as his Republican opponent withdrew after a sex scandal and the party has yet to appoint a replacement.
He drew laughter and applause with a reference to himself as "a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too."
He reinforced a frequent message of the convention by promising that Kerry would not hesitate to use military force when necessary.
"We have real enemies in the world," he said. "They must be pursued -- and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this."
He argued against dividing America into liberal and conservative, black and white for political gain.
"In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?" Obama asked. "John Kerry calls on us to hope."
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Isle delegates
and associates
applaud speech
BOSTON >> Punahou School graduate Barack Obama not only stole the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention, he also won the hearts of Hawaii delegates last night as he delivered an explosive keynote speech.
"I think he has upscaled everyone else here," said Rachel Shackelford, a Dennis Kucinich-pledged delegate from Palolo Valley.
"He's very genuine and it shows that he's thinking about what he's saying."
The 29-year-old oceanographer at the University of Hawaii's Undersea Research Laboratory said Obama was charismatic. She lifted her Obama sign but didn't display apparent Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's during the speech.
Obama was born in Hawaii and graduated from Punahou School in 1979.
"He's the son of my friend," U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said minutes before rushing to his seat and greeting Obama with a sign.
Obama's speech also impressed Mayor Jeremy Harris.
"Hawaii can be proud for playing a role in educating him," said Harris. "We were very proud. It was one of the most articulate speeches that I've ever heard."
In Hawaii, Obama's speech was described as "awesome" by Donald Koelper, a communication specialist at Democratic Party headquarters in Honolulu. "He's been touted as a rising star in the party and I think he proved it," Koelper said. "He did a great job."
At Punahou, Eric Kusunoki, Obama's former homeroom teacher, said it was only a matter of time before Obama achieved success.
"He really had it in him to do something. The only question was what he was going to do, where and when," Kusunoki said.
At the convention, Abercrombie, who once supported former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean for the presidential nomination, said now he just wants someone else other than President Bush in the White House. "George Bush is the best advertisement we have," Abercrombie said.
"We are solidifying the party," he continued. "There's absolute unity across the board to defeat Bush."
Harris said he's been "working behind the scenes" in "the most important election in my life."
Harris said even in Hawaii, where the Democratic Party has carried 11 presidential races since 1959, losing only in 1972 to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan in 1984, people should not take their votes for granted.
"This is our chance to regain the American dream," he said. "I think we have learned that every vote counts, even if every vote doesn't count."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
