For Veteran Speaker, the Challenge of a Lifetime

Sen. Barack Obama addresses a gathering in Billings, Mont. Tonight, he will speak to 80,000 in Denver, the largest crowd at a Democratic convention since the party's 1960 meeting, which nominated John F. Kennedy. (By Linda Davidson -- The Washington Post)
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On Wednesday, dozens of workers hurried around Invesco Field to finish the stage. One woman scrubbed dirt off the hollow Greek columns. Another cleaned the wooden lectern. Obama's image will be beamed onto the stadium scoreboard and two other screens behind him, officials said, but vendors also plan to make binoculars available for rent to those in the upper deck.

Obama turned up Wednesday night to familiarize himself with the stage, also using the opportunity to regard the stadium from different vantage points.

The last time Obama delivered a major speech -- to 200,000 people in Berlin -- images from the event ended up in the background of a John McCain ad, which referred to Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world." On Wednesday, the McCain campaign e-mailed reporters descriptions of the Greek columns as more proof of its portrayal of Obama as egotistical and out of touch.

Friends said Obama rarely gets nervous before appearing in public anymore, but few speeches have mattered as much as this one. As he walks down the 20-yard runway toward the lectern, he will have plenty to contemplate. Can he deliver a speech rich in both policy and passion? Can he stand out and yet not stand apart?

"Here's the thing about Barack," said Marty Nesbitt, Obama's closest friend in Chicago. "I keep thinking that maybe he's getting in over his head, and this is too hard and it's going to get to him. But he surprises me and delivers every time."

Staff writer Anne E. Kornblut contributed to this report.