Aug 28, 2008 7:00 pm US/Pacific
Obama: I'll 'Fix Politics,' Cut Taxes, End War
DENVER, Colorado (CBS 5 / AP) ―
Barack Obama, launching his historic fall campaign for the White House with an outdoor Democratic National Convention extravaganza, will pledge Thursday night to fix the "broken politics of Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush" after defeating Republican John McCain.
He vowed to cut taxes for nearly all working-class families, end the war in Iraq and break America's dependence on Mideast oil within a decade.
"We are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this," Obama said in advance excerpts of his nomination acceptance speech released by his campaign.
Seeking to weld his Republican rival to the outgoing Bush presidency, Obama declared: "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 percent of the time?"
"I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change," he said.
"We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil and the American promise has been threatened once more," Obama said in the excerpts.
He said it's time to change leadership in Washington after two terms of the Bush administration. "On November 4th," he said, "we must stand up and say: 'Eight is Enough."
Obama said that more Americans now are out of work or working harder for less, more have lost homes or are watching home values plummet, have cars they can't afford, credit card bills they can't pay and tuition that is beyond reach.
"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 presidency of George W. Bush," he said.
Obama, who has been criticized for not offering detailed prescriptions for the nation's ills, outlined his economic vision. He said, "America, now is not the time for small plans."
In the speech excerpts, Obama pledged to jettison Bush's economic policy -- and replace it with his own designed to help hard-pressed families.
"I will cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class," he said.
The excerpts didn't mention it, but Obama has called for raising taxes on upper-income Americans to help pay for expanded health care and other domestic programs.
Obama said he was setting a goal "for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet," of ending dependence on oil from the Middle East in ten years.
Playing on Bush's assertion in his 2007 State of the Union address that the nation was "addicted" to foreign oil, Obama said, "Now is the time to end this addiction."
He did not say precisely what he meant by breaking the country's dependence on Mideast oil, only that Washington has been talking about doing it for 30 years "and John McCain has been there for 26 of them."
Obama sought to ease any concerns Americans might have that he was not prepared to be commander in chief or that Democrats were not as trustworthy as Republicans on national security.
"We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe," Obama said.
"The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans - Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are to restore that legacy," he said.
"As commander in chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home," he said.
His pledge to end the war in Iraq responsibly was straight from his daily campaign speeches.
"I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," he added.
As he does so often while campaigning, Obama also paid tribute to McCain's heroism - the 72-year-old Arizona senator was a prisoner of war in Vietnam - then assailed him.
"Sen. 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 percent of the time?" The Illinois senator then added, "It's not that John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it."
In another subtle slap at McCain, Obama said neither candidate should question the other's patriotism -- "I've got news for you, John McCain, we all put our country first."
Obama planned to offer himself to Democrats and the nation as the embodiment of the promise of America.
In the excerpts of the speech that he will deliver before a crowd of more than 84,000 at Invesco Field and to millions tuned in on television, Obama said that his story is part of the promise "that has always set this country apart."
He planned to tell delegates and thousands more gathered in Denver "that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well."
Obama was to use his acceptance speech to make the case for electing a man whom he admits doesn't fit the "typical pedigree."
In the prepared remarks, Obama said: "I get it. I realize that I'm not the likeliest candidate for this office."
But Obama noted that the success of his candidacy shows that "all across America something is stirring."
With the nomination in hand, Obama could afford to pause - if only for a moment - to reflect on the path that took him from untested rising star at the Democratic convention just four years ago to the party's standard-bearer this time and a symbol of hope to millions of Americans yearning for change.
Obama himself took note of the transformation.
"Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known - but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to."
Then he launched himself into the task at hand, persuading voters that he is the leader for "one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more."
He wants to use his acceptance speech at the DNC in part to show everyday Americans that he is one of them -- not born of wealth or privilege, his gains made of hard work and sacrifice.
"This moment -- this election -- is our chance to keep, in the 21st Century, the American promise alive," he said in prepared remarks. He put himself in the shadow of great leaders like John F. Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as his humble parents.
Obama is accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on the 45th anniversary of King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
"Tonight we are gathered here in this magnificent stadium in Denver because we still have a dream," said Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who marched with King, supported Obama's primary rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then switched under pressure from younger black leaders in his home state and elsewhere.
Obama's aides were interested in a different historical parallel from King - Obama was the first to deliver an outdoor convention acceptance speech since Kennedy did so at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
