I thought this was a great speech. Obama discusses the problems facing America. He attacks Bush's failed policies. He argues that McCain is no different than Bush. He presents an affirmation of core Democratic values. And he offers a point by point summary of many of his own policies.

Here are some key points from the speech:

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"Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your 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 policies of George W. Bush."

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"The record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time."

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"For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy: Give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else.

In Washington, they call this the "Ownership Society," but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck, you're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, even if you don't have boots. You are on your own."

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"[Democrats] measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president... when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of go down $2,000, like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job, an economy that honors the dignity of work."

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"Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America."

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"I will cut taxes for 95 percent of all working families."

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"In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East."

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"And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power, and solar power, and the next generation of biofuels..."

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"...Provide every child a world-class education..."

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"If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves."

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"I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most."

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"Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime: by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow.

But I will also go through the federal budget line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less, because we cannot meet 21st-century challenges with a 20th-century bureaucracy."

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"You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in 80 countries by occupying Iraq."

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"If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice, but that is not the change that America needs."

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"I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan. 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 and curb Russian aggression."

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"But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me; it's about you.

It's about you.

For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said, "Enough," to the politics of the past. You understand that, in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same, old politics with the same, old players and expect a different result."

I would classify Barack Obama's speech as everything he's ever said on the campaign trail put together on one page or several Teleprompter pages in BIG letters. There was nothing new to be heard either for himself or against John McCain. It was a very good speech but I'm a bit bored by the same words and the same statistics said in the same way each time.

Great speech, very charismatic and much better than anything John McCain could ever pull off. But it was lacking in any reference to black right`s liberation movements and considering it`s a black candidate I would like to hear that stuff.

It's a good thing he didn't lose the tele prompter and that he got a good night sleep ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU

After all, he's only human.

When you watch Obama speak, you get a little twinge at first... but i often get bored after awhile. Hitler, now that was a guy who could speak. he would shout and wave his hands around and pound on the desk and on his chest. yeah, the guy was an asshole, but he was an asshole who just entranced you.

Obama gets you at first... but it gets boring after awhile... just saying the same thing as before and no cool visuals like Hitler did.

now, i don't support anything Hitler said, but this is about their speeches... right?

There was nothing new to be heard either for himself or against John McCain. It was a very good speech but I'm a bit bored by the same words and the same statistics said in the same way each time.

Maybe he should have kept it simple, and maybe tried to sound a little more like Elvis. I mean, he sould have said, "Thank you. Thank you very much!" and be done with it. Why drag it out? I stopped watching after 4 minutes..., when he started stroking the Clintons.