#RSS Feed for Barack Obama articles - Telegraph.co.uk DCSIMG Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Advertisement Saturday 04 February 2012 | Subscribe Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit * Home * News * Sport * Finance * Comment * Blogs * Culture * Travel * Lifestyle * Fashion * Tech * Dating * Offers * Jobs * UK * World * Politics * Obituaries * Education * Earth * Science * Defence * Health News * Royal Family * Celebrities * Weird News * USA * US Election 2012 * Asia * China * Central Asia * Europe * Australasia * Middle East * Africa * South America 1. Home» 2. News» 3. World News» 4. Barack Obama Barack Obama attacks John McCain in first US presidential campaign speech Barack Obama pledged to protect the dreams of Americans as he accepted the Democratic Party nomination and launched his historic campaign for president of the United States. 460 259 TelegraphPlayer_2642805 [EMBED] Link to this video By Toby Harnden and Alex Spillius in Denver 12:55PM BST 29 Aug 2008 Comments Comments Speaking in a Denver stadium in front of 80,000 supporters, Mr Obama mixed soaring rhetoric with a gritty assault on his Republican opponent John McCain who, he said, "doesn't get it" and leaves ordinary Americans "on their own". In a statement signalling that Mr Obama's campaign may attack Mr McCain over his wealth and apparent detachment from working class voters, he said: "I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans - I just think he doesn't know". Last week Mr McCain faced embarrassment after he was not able to tell a reporter how many homes he and his wife Cindy, a rich heiress, owned. Closing the Democratic party convention, Mr Obama promised tax cuts after saying he would "spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President". Critics have charged that he has not been specific enough so far and has failed to convince ordinary voters not yet won over by his twin message of "hope" and "change". Related Articles * McCain picks woman as Republican running mate 29 Aug 2008 * John McCain surprises with running mate choice 29 Aug 2008 * Barack Obama has poll lead after Denver speech 29 Aug 2008 * McCain attacks 'misleading' speech 29 Aug 2008 * Emotional tide at historical moment 29 Aug 2008 * Obama's acceptance speech in full 29 Aug 2008 "Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it," he said. "Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. "I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95 per cent of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class." Attempting to tie Mr McCain to the unpopular Bush administration in voters' minds, Mr Obama said: "The record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety per cent of the time. "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 ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change." Mr Obama said that the choice facing voters in the election in November was stark: more of the same, or a new politics. "Next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third," he said. "And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say, 'Eight is enough'." Mr Obama's clear decision to aim a hefty personal blow on Mr McCain is likely to cheer nervous Democrats who have seen Mr Obama's poll lead disappear in the past month. His line of attack moved from the economy to foreign affairs, emphasising that he had been correct from the start on the war in Iraq. He said: "I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rejecting the notion that Democrats were weak on national security, Mr Obama said: "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." After the speech, red, white and blue fireworks shot out of the top of the building, one side of which was covered in streamers that were caught by a gust of wind. Republicans immediately branded Mr Obama as a would-be emperor with delusions of grandeur. The speech was acclaimed by those close to Mr Obama. Speaking at a reception for wealthy fundraisers afterwards, Mr Obama's wife Michelle said: "Well, wasn't this a pretty special night to end a pretty special week? I can't tell you how proud I am of my husband, who delivered a speech of a lifetime. And now the work begins." Oprah Winfrey, the television talk-show host who has appeared at campaign events for Mr Obama, said the speech had so moved her that she left Denver without her eyelashes. "I think it's the most powerful thing I have ever experienced," she said. "I cried my eyelashes off," she added, saying Obama's words had been "transcendent." Ms Winfrey said the speech, which came on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech, was more comparable to those by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. "He's not an African-American candidate," she said. "He's a candidate for Americans." However John McCain's campaign team delivered an instant dismissal of the speech. In a statement, they said it was "misleading" and failed to accurately portray Mr Obama's "meagre" record in national politics. Mr McCain is expected to attempt to wrest media focus back on to his campaign by announcing his choice of vice-presidential candidate shortly. Senator Joe Liebermann, Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Governor Mitt Romney are favourites to take the spot. He will then address the Republican party convention in Minnesota next week. Mr Obama is due on Friday to begin a four-day tour of battleground states hoping for a much-needed boost from the biggest event so far of his historic bid for White House. X Share & bookmark Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz What are these? * Share: Share Tweet http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/barackobama/2644617/Barack-Ob ama-attacks-John-McCain-in-first-US-presidential-campaign-speech.html Telegraph Barack Obama * News » * World News » * North America » * USA » * Major News » In Barack Obama Detroit Ford production line Has Obama saved the US car industry? President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington Obama pledges equal taxes for rich US election 2012: Barack Obama serenades supporters at New York fundraiser Obama serenades supporters US troops withdraw from Iraq US troops withdraw from Iraq Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011: the 85th annual holiday parade in New York Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade X Share & bookmark Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz What are these? Share: * * * * Tweet * * * Advertisement telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Follow The Telegraph on social media Advertisement Latest Obama approval ratings Advertisement promotions » Loading News Most Viewed * TODAY * PAST WEEK * PAST MONTH 1. Chris Huhne and ex-wife to face court showdown 2. 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