Obama Claims Historic Nomination

DENVER - Sen. Barack Obama tonight made history as the first African American presidential nominee with a stirring, substance-heavy speech in which he directly challenged Republican John McCain's judgment on matters of foreign policy and national security while drawing deeply on his own personal story to cast himself as the American Dream come true.

"Tonight I say to the American people --, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land -- enough," said Obama to a crowd at Invesco Field that was estimated at more than 70,000. "This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive."

The optics of the event - the first national party convention to be held outdoors since John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic nomination at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960 -- were breathtaking. Television screens filled with images of Obama supporters dancing in the aisles to the tunes of Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow; a blazing orange sun set on an arid Colorado night as Obama prepared to take the stage. The speech ended with fireworks and confetti, as Obama, his runningmate, Sen. Joe Biden, and their families stood together waving to the crowd of delegates and supporters, at the climax of the Democratic National Convention.

Gone were the conflicts between supporters of Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, tensions that threatened to derail the convention earlier this week. Obama effusively praised both Clinton ("a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours") and former President Bill Clinton ("who made the case for change as only he can make it") in the opening moments of his address.

While Obama clearly reveled in the massive and enthusiastic crowd, the Illinois senator's speech quickly took on a workmanlike tone as he sought to rebut a series of Republican attacks - from his alleged lack of specific policy proposals to the idea that his short resume in elected office made him unfit to serve as commander-in-chief. "Let me spell out exactly what this change would mean if I am president," said Obama.

"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have," Obama insisted.