Barack
Obama
Has
Chosen
Senator
Joe
Biden
To
Be
His
VP
Nominee.
Breaking
news:
the
text
message
is
out
and
it's
official...
Barack
Obama
has
selected
Joe
Biden
to
be
his
running
mate!
The
following
Text
and
E-Mail
messages
went
out
at
about
2:00
AM
to
our
supporters.
TEXT
MESSAGE
TO
SUPPORTERS:
Barack
has
chosen
Senator
Joe
Biden
to
be
our
VP
nominee.
Watch
the
first
Obama-Biden
rally
live
at
3pm
ET
on
www.BarackObama.com.
Spread
the
word!
EMAIL
TO
SUPPORTERS:
Friend
--
I
have
some
important
news
that
I
want
to
make
official.
I've
chosen
Joe
Biden
to
be
my
running
mate.
Joe
and
I
will
appear
for
the
first
time
as
running
mates
this
afternoon
in
Springfield,
Illinois
--
the
same
place
this
campaign
began
more
than
19
months
ago.
I'm
excited
about
hitting
the
campaign
trail
with
Joe,
but
the
two
of
us
can't
do
this
alone.
We
need
your
help
to
keep
building
this
movement
for
change.
Please
let
Joe
know
that
you're
glad
he's
part
of
our
team.
Share
your
personal
welcome
note
and
we'll
make
sure
he
gets
it:
http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe
Thanks
for
your
support,
Barack
P.S.
--
Make
sure
to
turn
on
your
TV
at
2:00
p.m.
Central
Time
to
join
us
or
watch
online
at
http://www.BarackObama.com.
Remarks
of
Senator
Barack
Obama—as
prepared
for
delivery
Vice
President
Announcement
Springfield,
Illinois
August
23,
2008
Nineteen
months
ago,
on a
cold
February
day
right
here
on
the
steps
of
the
Old
State
Capitol,
I
stood
before
you
to
announce
my
candidacy
for
President
of
the
United
States
of
America.
We
started
this
journey
with
a
simple
belief:
that
the
American
people
were
better
than
their
government
in
Washington
– a
government
that
has
fallen
prey
to
special
interests
and
policies
that
have
left
working
people
behind.
As
I’ve
travelled
to
towns
and
cities,
farms
and
factories,
front
porches
and
fairgrounds
in
almost
all
fifty
states
–
that
belief
has
been
strengthened.
Because
at
this
defining
moment
in
our
history
–
with
our
nation
at
war,
and
our
economy
in
recession
– we
know
that
the
American
people
cannot
afford
four
more
years
of
the
same
failed
policies
and
the
same
old
politics
in
Washington.
We
know
that
the
time
for
change
has
come.
For
months,
I’ve
searched
for
a
leader
to
finish
this
journey
alongside
me,
and
to
join
in
me
in
making
Washington
work
for
the
American
people.
I
searched
for
a
leader
who
understands
the
rising
costs
confronting
working
people,
and
who
will
always
put
their
dreams
first.
A
leader
who
sees
clearly
the
challenges
facing
America
in a
changing
world,
with
our
security
and
standing
set
back
by
eight
years
of a
failed
foreign
policy.
A
leader
who
shares
my
vision
of
an
open
government
that
calls
all
citizens
–
Democrats,
Republicans
and
Independents
– to
a
common
purpose.
Above
all,
I
searched
for
a
leader
who
is
ready
to
step
in
and
be
President.
Today,
I
have
come
back
to
Springfield
to
tell
you
that
I’ve
found
that
leader
– a
man
with
a
distinguished
record
and
a
fundamental
decency
–
Joe
Biden.
Joe
Biden
is
that
rare
mix
–
for
decades,
he
has
brought
change
to
Washington,
but
Washington
hasn’t
changed
him.
He’s
an
expert
on
foreign
policy
whose
heart
and
values
are
rooted
firmly
in
the
middle
class.
He
has
stared
down
dictators
and
spoken
out
for
America's
cops
and
firefighters.
He
is
uniquely
suited
to
be
my
partner
as
we
work
to
put
our
country
back
on
track.
Now
I
could
stand
here
and
recite
a
list
of
Senator
Biden’s
achievements,
because
he
is
one
of
the
finest
public
servants
of
our
time.
But
first
I
want
to
talk
to
you
about
the
character
of
the
man
standing
next
to
me.
Joe
Biden’s
many
triumphs
have
only
come
after
great
trial.
He
was
born
in
Scranton,
Pennsylvania.
His
family
didn’t
have
much
money.
Joe
Sr.
worked
different
jobs,
from
cleaning
boilers
to
selling
cars,
sometimes
moving
in
with
the
in-laws
or
working
weekends
to
make
ends
meet.
But
he
raised
his
family
with
a
strong
commitment
to
work
and
to
family;
to
the
Catholic
faith
and
to
the
belief
that
in
America,
you
can
make
it
if
you
try.
Those
are
the
core
values
that
Joe
Biden
has
carried
with
him
to
this
day.
And
even
though
Joe
Sr.
is
not
with
us,
I
know
that
he
is
proud
of
Joe
today.
It
might
be
hard
to
believe
when
you
hear
him
talk
now,
but
as a
child
he
had
a
terrible
stutter.
They
called
him
“Bu-bu-Biden.”
But
he
picked
himself
up,
worked
harder
than
the
other
guy,
and
got
elected
to
the
Senate
– a
young
man
with
a
family
and
a
seemingly
limitless
future.
Then
tragedy
struck.
Joe’s
wife
Neilia
and
their
little
girl
Naomi
were
killed
in a
car
accident,
and
their
two
boys
were
badly
hurt.
When
Joe
was
sworn
in
as a
Senator,
there
was
no
ceremony
in
the
Capitol
–
instead,
he
was
standing
by
his
sons
in
the
hospital
room
where
they
were
recovering.
He
was
30
years
old.
Tragedy
tests
us –
it
tests
our
fortitude
and
it
tests
our
faith.
Here’s
how
Joe
Biden
responded.
He
never
moved
to
Washington.
Instead,
night
after
night,
week
after
week,
year
after
year,
he
returned
home
to
Wilmington
on a
lonely
Amtrak
train
when
his
Senate
business
was
done.
He
raised
his
boys
–
first
as a
single
dad,
then
alongside
his
wonderful
wife
Jill,
who
works
as a
teacher.
He
had
a
beautiful
daughter.
Now
his
children
are
grown
and
Joe
is
blessed
with
5grandchildren.
He
instilled
in
them
such
a
sense
of
public
service
that
his
son,
Beau,
who
is
now
Delaware’s
Attorney
General,
is
getting
ready
to
deploy
to
Iraq.
And
he
still
takes
that
train
back
to
Wilmington
every
night.
Out
of
the
heartbreak
of
that
unspeakable
accident,
he
did
more
than
become
a
Senator
– he
raised
a
family.
That
is
the
measure
of
the
man
standing
next
to
me.
That
is
the
character
of
Joe
Biden.
Years
later,
Senator
Biden
would
face
another
brush
with
death
when
he
had
a
brain
aneurysm.
On
the
way
to
the
hospital,
they
didn’t
think
he
was
going
to
make
it.
They
gave
him
slim
odds
to
recover.
But
he
did.
He
beat
it.
And
he
came
back
stronger
than
before.
Maybe
it’s
this
resilience
–
this
insistence
on
overcoming
adversity
–
that
accounts
for
Joe
Biden’s
work
in
the
Senate.
Time
and
again,
he
has
made
a
difference
for
the
people
across
this
country
who
work
long
hours
and
face
long
odds.
This
working
class
kid
from
Scranton
and
Wilmington
has
always
been
a
friend
to
the
underdog,
and
all
who
seek
a
safer
and
more
prosperous
America
to
live
their
dreams
and
raise
their
families.
Fifteen
years
ago,
too
many
American
communities
were
plagued
by
violence
and
insecurity.
So
Joe
Biden
brought
Democrats
and
Republicans
together
to
pass
the
1994
Crime
Bill,
putting
100,000
cops
on
the
streets,
and
starting
an
eight
year
drop
in
crime
across
the
country.
For
far
too
long,
millions
of
women
suffered
abuse
in
the
shadows.
So
Joe
Biden
wrote
the
Violence
Against
Women
Act,
so
every
woman
would
have
a
place
to
turn
for
support.
The
rate
of
domestic
violence
went
down
dramatically,
and
countless
women
got
a
second
chance
at
life.
Year
after
year,
he
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
the
fight
for
judges
who
respect
the
fundamental
rights
and
liberties
of
the
American
people;
college
tuition
that
is
affordable
for
all;
equal
pay
for
women
and
a
rising
minimum
wage
for
all;
and
family
leave
policies
that
value
work
and
family.
Those
are
the
priorities
of a
man
whose
work
reflects
his
life
and
his
values.
That
same
strength
of
character
is
at
the
core
of
his
rise
to
become
one
of
America’s
leading
voices
on
national
security.
He
looked
Slobodan
Milosevic
in
the
eye
and
called
him
a
war
criminal,
and
then
helped
shape
policies
that
would
end
the
killing
in
the
Balkans
and
bring
him
to
justice.
He
passed
laws
to
lock
down
chemical
weapons,
and
led
the
push
to
bring
Europe’s
newest
democracies
into
NATO.
Over
the
last
eight
years,
he
has
been
a
powerful
critic
of
the
catastrophic
Bush-McCain
foreign
policy,
and
a
voice
for
a
new
direction
that
takes
the
fight
to
the
terrorists
and
ends
the
war
in
Iraq
responsibly.
He
recently
went
to
Georgia,
where
he
met
quietly
with
the
President
and
came
back
with
a
call
for
aid
and
a
tough
message
for
Russia.
Joe
Biden
is
what
so
many
others
pretend
to
be –
a
statesman
with
sound
judgment
who
doesn’t
have
to
hide
behind
bluster
to
keep
America
strong.
Joe
won’t
just
make
a
good
Vice
President
– he
will
make
a
great
one.
After
decades
of
steady
work
across
the
aisle,
I
know
he’ll
be
able
to
help
me
turn
the
page
on
the
ugly
partisanship
in
Washington,
so
we
can
bring
Democrats
and
Republicans
together
to
pass
an
agenda
that
works
for
the
American
people.
And
instead
of
secret
task
energy
task
forces
stacked
with
Big
Oil
and
a
Vice
President
that
twists
the
facts
and
shuts
the
American
people
out,
I
know
that
Joe
Biden
will
give
us
some
real
straight
talk.
I
have
seen
this
man
work.
I
have
sat
with
him
as
he
chairs
the
Senate
Foreign
Relations
Committee,
and
been
by
his
side
on
the
campaign
trail.
And
I
can
tell
you
that
Joe
Biden
gets
it.
He’s
that
unique
public
servant
who
is
at
home
in a
bar
in
Cedar
Rapids
and
the
corridors
of
the
Capitol;
in
the
VFW
hall
in
Concord,
and
at
the
center
of
an
international
crisis.
That’s
because
he
is
still
that
scrappy
kid
from
Scranton
who
beat
the
odds;
the
dedicated
family
man
and
committed
Catholic
who
knows
every
conductor
on
that
Amtrak
train
to
Wilmington.
That’s
the
kind
of
fighter
who
I
want
by
my
side
in
the
months
and
years
to
come.
That’s
what
it’s
going
to
take
to
win
the
fight
for
good
jobs
that
let
people
live
their
dreams,
a
tax
code
that
rewards
work
instead
of
wealth,
and
health
care
that
is
affordable
and
accessible
for
every
American
family.
That’s
what
it’s
going
to
take
to
forge
a
new
energy
policy
that
frees
us
from
our
dependence
on
foreign
oil
and
$4
gasoline
at
the
pump,
while
creating
new
jobs
and
new
industry.
That’s
what
it’s
going
to
take
to
put
an
end
to a
failed
foreign
policy
that’s
based
on
bluster
and
bad
judgment,
so
that
we
renew
America’s
security
and
standing
in
the
world.
We
know
what
we’re
going
to
get
from
the
other
side.
Four
more
years
of
the
same
out-of-touch
policies
that
created
an
economic
disaster
at
home,
and
a
disastrous
foreign
policy
abroad.
Four
more
years
of
the
same
divisive
politics
that
is
all
about
tearing
people
down
instead
of
lifting
this
country
up.
We
can’t
afford
more
of
the
same.
I am
running
for
President
because
that’s
a
future
that
I
don’t
accept
for
my
daughters
and
I
don’t
accept
it
for
your
children.
It’s
time
for
the
change
that
the
American
people
need.
Now,
with
Joe
Biden
at
my
side,
I am
confident
that
we
can
take
this
country
in a
new
direction;
that
we
are
ready
to
overcome
the
adversity
of
the
last
eight
years;
that
we
won’t
just
win
this
election
in
November,
we’ll
restore
that
fair
shot
at
your
dreams
that
is
at
the
core
of
who
Joe
Biden
and
I
are
as
people,
and
what
America
is
as a
nation.
So
let
me
introduce
you
to
the
next
Vice
President
of
the
United
States
of
America...
Remarks
of
Senator
Joe
Biden
(Verbatim)
Announcement
of
Vice
Presidential
Nominee
Selection
Springfield,
Illinois
August
23,
2008
Well,
it's
great
to
be
here!
On
the
steps
of
the
old
State
House
in
the
land
of
Lincoln.
President
Lincoln
once
instructed
us
to
be
sure
to
put
your
feet
in
the
right
place.
Then
stand
firm.
Today,
Springfield,
I
know
my
feet
are
in
the
right
place.
And
I am
proud
to
stand
firm
for
the
next
president
of
the
United
States
of
America,
Barack
Obama.
Folks,
Barack
and
I
come
from
very
different
places,
but
we
share
a
common
story.
An
American
story.
He
was
the
son
of a
single
mom,
a
single
mom
who
had
to
struggle
to
support
her
son
and
her
kids.
But
she
raised
him.
She
raised
him
to
believe
in
America.
to
believe
that
in
this
country
there
is
no
obstacle
that
could
keep
you
from
your
dreams.
If
you
are
willing
to
work
hard
and
fight
for
it.
I
was
different.
I
was
an
Irish-Catholic
kid
from
Scranton
with
a
father
who
like
many
of
yours
in
tough
economic
times
fell
on
hard
times,
but
my
mom
and
dad
raised
me
to
believe,
it's
a
saying
Barack
you
heard
me
say
before,
my
dad
repeated
it
and
repeated
it.
Said
champ,
it's
not
how
many
times
you
get
knocked
down,
it's
how
quickly
you
get
up.
It’s
how
quickly
you
get
up.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
that's
your
story.
That’s
America's
story.
It’s
about
if
you
get
up,
you
can
make
it.
That’s
the
America
Barack
Obama
and
I
believe
in.
That's
the
American
dream.
And
ladies
and
gentlemen,
is
there
no
ordinary
times,
and
this
is
no
ordinary
election.
Because
the
truth
of
the
matter
is,
and
you
know
it,
that
American
dream
under
eight
years
of
Bush
and
McCain,
that
American
dream
is
slipping
away.
I
don't
have
to
tell
you
that.
You
feel
it
in
your
lives.
You
see
it
in
your
shrinking
wages,
and
the
cost
of
everything
from
groceries
to
health
care
to
college
to
filling
up
your
car
at
the
gas
station.
It
keeps
going
up
and
up
and
up,
and
the
future
keeps
receding
further
and
further
and
further
away
as
you
reach
for
your
dreams.
You
know,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
it
is
not
a
mere
political
saying.
I
say
with
every
fiber
of
my
being
I
believe
we
cannot
as a
nation
stand
for
four
more
years
of
this.
We
cannot
afford
to
keep
giving
tax
cuts
after
tax
cuts
to
big
corporations
and
the
wealthiest
Americans
while
the
middle
class
America,
middle
class
families
are
falling
behind
and
their
wages
are
actually
shrinking.
We
can't
afford
four
more
years
of a
government
that
does
nothing
while
they
watch
the
housing
market
collapse.
As
you
know,
it's
not
just
the
millions
of
people
facing
foreclosure.
It’s
the
tens
of
millions
of
your
neighbors
who
are
seeing
the
values
of
their
homes
drop
off
a
cliff
along
with
their
dreams.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
your
kitchen
table
is
like
mine.
You
sit
there
at
night
before
you
put
the
kids
--
after
you
put
the
kids
to
bed
and
you
talk,
you
talk
about
what
you
need.
You
talk
about
how
much
you
are
worried
about
being
able
to
pay
the
bills.
Well,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
that's
not
a
worry
John
McCain
has
to
worry
about.
It’s
a
pretty
hard
experience.
He’ll
have
to
figure
out
which
of
the
seven
kitchen
tables
to
sit
at.
Folks,
again,
it's
not
political
sloganary
when
I
say
we
literally
can't
afford
four
more
years
of
this
non-energy
policy
written
by
and
for
the
oil
companies,
making
us
more
and
more
dependent
from
hostile
nations
on
our
ability
to
run
this
country
and
literally,
not
figuratively,
literally
putting
America's
security
at
risk,
we
can't
afford
four
more
years
of a
foreign
policy
that
has
shredded
our
alliances
and
sacrificed
our
moral
standing
around
the
world.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
that's
the
bad
news.
But
there
is
good
news,
America.
We
don't
have
to
have
four
more
years
of
George
W.
Bush.
And
John
McCain.
The
next
President
of
the
United
States
is
going
to
be
delivered
to
the
most
significant
moment
in
American
history
since
Franklin
Roosevelt.
He
will
have
such
an
incredible
opportunity,
incredible
opportunity,
not
only
to
change
the
direction
of
America,
but
literally,
literally
to
change
the
direction
of
the
world.
Barack
Obama
and
I
believe,
we
believe
with
every
fiber
in
our
being
that
our
families,
our
communities
as
Americans,
there's
not
a
single
solitary
challenge
we
cannot
face
if
we
level
with
the
American
people.
And
I
don’t
say
that
to
say
it;
history,
history
has
shown
it.
When
have
Americans
ever,
ever,
ever,
let
their
country
down
when
they’ve
had
a
leader
to
lead
them?
--
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
we
believe
that
our
tomorrows
will
be
better
than
our
yesterdays,
and
we
believe
we’ll
pass
on
to
our
children
an
even
better
life
than
the
one
we
lived.
That
literally
has
been
the
American
way,
and
it
can
be
that
way
again.
But
there's
a
big,
missing
piece.
The
missing
piece
is
leadership.
In
all
my
time
in
the
United
States
Senate,
and
I
want
you
to
know
there's
only
four
senators
senior
to
me,
but
Barack,
there's
still
44
older
than
me.
I
want
you
to
know
that
part.
But
all
kidding
aside,
of
all
my
years
in
the
Senate,
I
have
never
in
my
life
seen
Washington
so
broken.
I
have
never
seen
so
many
dreams
denied
and
so
many
decisions
deferred
by
politicians
who
are
trying
like
the
devil
to
escape
their
responsibility
and
accountability.
But,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
the
reckoning
is
now.
And
the
reality,
the
reality
is
that
we
must
answer
the
call
or
we
will
risk
the
harshest
version
and
verdict
of
history.
These
times
call
for
a
total
change
in
Washington’s
worldview.
These
times
require
more
than
a
good
soldier.
They
require
a
wise
leader.
A
leader
-- a
leader
who
can
deliver.
A
leader
who
can
deliver
the
change
we
need.
I’ll
say
straight
up
to
you
–
John
McCain
and
the
press
knows
this,
is
genuinely
a
friend
of
mine.
I’ve
known
John
for
35
years.
He
served
our
country
with
extraordinary
courage
and
I
know
he
wants
to
do
right
by
America.
But
the
harsh
truth
is,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
you
can't
change
America
when
you
boast.
And
these
are
John's
words,
quote,
the
most
important
issues
of
our
day,
I’ve
been
totally
in
agreement
and
support
of
President
Bush.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
that's
what
he
said.
You
can't
change
America
when
you
supported
George
Bush's
policies
95%
of
the
time.
You
can't
change
America
when
you
believe,
and
these
are
his
own
words,
that
in
the
Bush
administration
we’ve
made
great
progress
economically.
You
can't
change
America
and
make
things
better
for
our
senior
citizens
when
you
signed
on
to
Bush's
scheme
of
privatizing
social
security.
You
can't
change
America
and
give
our
workers
a
fighting
chance
when
after
3
million
manufacturing
jobs
disappear,
you
continue
to
support
tax
breaks
for
companies
who
ship
our
jobs
overseas.
You
can't
change
America
and
end
this
war
in
Iraq
when
you
declare
and,
again,
these
are
John's
words,
no
one
has
supported
President
Bush
in
Iraq
more
than
I
have,
end
of
quote.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
you
can't
change
America,
you
can't
change
America
when
you
know
your
first
four
years
as
president
will
look
exactly
like
the
last
eight
years
of
George
Bush's
presidency.
My
friends
--
yes,
we
can.
My
friends,
I
don't
have
to
tell
you,
this
election
year
the
choice
is
clear.
One
man
stands
ready
to
deliver
change
we
desperately
need.
A
man
I’m
proud
to
call
my
friend.
A
man
who
will
be
the
next
president
of
the
United
States,
Barack
Amer
–
You
know,
you
learn
a
lot
of
things
being
up
close
with
a
guy.
Let
me
tell
you
about
Obama.
You
learn
a
lot
about
a
man
when
you
campaign
with
him.
When
you
debate
him
12
or
13
times.
When
you
hear
him
speak.
When
you
see
how
he
thinks.
And
you
watch
how
he
reacts
under
pressure.
You
learn
a
lot
about
his
strength
of
his
mind,
and
I
think
even
more
importantly,
the
quality
of
his
heart.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
no
one
knows
better
than
I do
that
presidential
campaigns
are
crucibles
in
which
you’re
tested
and
challenged
every
single
day.
And
over
the
past
18
months,
I’ve
watched
Barack
meet
those
challenges
with
judgment,
intelligence,
and
steel
in
his
spine.
I’ve
watched
as
he's
inspired
millions
of
Americans,
millions
of
Americans
to
this
new
cause.
And
during
those
18
months,
I
must
tell
you,
frankly,
I’ve
been
disappointed
in
my
friend,
John
McCain,
who
gave
in
to
the
right
wing
of
his
party
and
yielded
to
the
very
swiftboat
politics
that
he
so
--
once
so
deplored.
And
folks,
campaigns
for
presidents
are
a
test
of
character
and
leadership.
And
in
this
campaign,
one
candidate,
one
candidate
has
passed
that
test.
Barack
has
the
vision,
and
what
you
can't
forget,
you
know
his
vision,
but
let
me
tell
you
something.
He
also
has
the
courage,
the
courage
to
make
this
a
better
place,
and
let
me
tell
you
something
else,
this
man
is a
clear
eyed
pragmatist
who
will
get
the
job
done.
I
watch
with
amazement
as
he
came
to
the
Senate.
I
watch
with
amazement.
He
made
his
mark
literally
from
day
one
reaching
across
the
aisle
to
pass
legislation
to
secure
the
world's
deadliest
weapons,
standing
up
to
some
of
the
most
entrenched
interests
in
Washington,
risking
the
wrath
of
the
old
order
to
pass
the
most
sweeping
ethics
reform
in a
generation.
But
I
was
proudest,
I
was
proudest,
when
I
watched
him
spontaneously
focus
the
attention
of
the
nation
on
the
shameful
neglect
of
America’s
wounded
warriors
at
Walter
Reed
Army
Hospital.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
I
know
I’m
told
I
talk
too
colloquially,
but
there's
something
about
this
guy.
There's
something
about
this
guy.
There's
something
about
Barack
Obama
that
allows
him
to
bring
people
together
like
no
one
I
have
worked
with
and
seen.
There’s
something
about
Barack
Obama
that
makes
people
understand
if
they
make
compromises
they
can
make
things
better.
It’s
been
amazing
to
watch
him.
But
then
again,
that's
been
the
story
of
his
whole
life.
I
end
where
I
began.
This
is a
man
raised
by a
single
mother
who
sometimes
was
on
food
stamps
as
she
worked
to
put
herself
through
school,
by
grandparents
from
the
prairies
of
Kansas
who
loved
him,
a
grandfather,
a
grandfather
who
marched
in
Paton's
Army
and
then
came
home
and
went
to
college
on
the
G.I.
Bill,
and
a
grandmother,
a
grandmother
with
just
a
high
school
education,
started
off
working
in a
small
bank
in
the
secretarial
pool
and
rose
to
be
vice
president
of
that
bank.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
ladies
and
gentlemen,
these
remarkable
people
gave
Barack
Obama
the
determination
and
drive,
and,
yes,
the
values
to
turn
down
that
big
job
on
Wall
Street,
to
come
to
Chicago’s
south
side,
where
he
helped
workers
help
themselves
after
the
steel
mills
had
been
shut
down
and
the
jobs
disappeared.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
my
wife
Jill,
who
you’ll
meet
soon,
is
drop
dead
gorgeous.
My
wife
Jill,
who
you’ll
meet
soon,
she
also
has
her
doctorate
degree,
which
is a
problem.
But
all
kidding
aside,
my
Jill,
my
Jill,
my
wife
Jill
and
I
are
honored
to
join
Barack
and
Michelle
on
this
journey,
because
that's
what
it
is.
it's
a
journey.
We
share
the
same
values,
the
values
that
we
had
passed
on
to
us
by
our
parents
and
the
values
Jill
and
I
are
passing
on
to
our
sons
Beau
and
Hunter
and
Ashley.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
I’m
here
for
their
future.
I’m
here
for
the
future
of
your
kids.
I’m
here
for
everyone
I –
I’m
here
for
everyone
I
grew
up
in
Scranton,
Pennsylvania,
who’s
been
forgotten
and
everybody
in
Claymont,
Delaware,
in
Wilmington
where
I
lived.
I’m
here
for
the
cops
and
the
fire
fighters,
the
teachers
and
the
line
workers,
the
folks
who
live
–
the
folks
whose
lives
are
the
measure
of
whether
the
American
dream
endures.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
this
is
no
ordinary
time.
This
is
no
ordinary
election.
And
this
may
be
our
last
chance
to
reclaim
the
America
we
love,
to
restore
America’s
soul.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
America
gave
Jill
and
me
our
chance.
It
gave
Barack
and
Michelle
their
chance
to
stand
on
this
stage
today.
It’s
literally
incredible.
These
values,
this
country
gave
us
that
chance.
And
now
it's
time
for
all
of
us,
as
Lincoln
said,
to
put
our
feet
in
the
right
place
and
to
stand
firm.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
it's
time
to
elect
Barack
Obama
president.
It’s
our
time.
It’s
America’s
time.
God
bless
America,
and
may
he
protect
our
troops.
Source: Obama For America |