Finally, a new dawn

Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 | 2:09 a.m.

When the Democratic National Convention began this week, there was concern among Democrats that their party’s standard-bearer, Barack Obama, was in danger of letting the election slip away to his Republican counterpart, John McCain.

It was essential, then, not only for Democrats to achieve party unity coming out of this convention but also for Obama to show that he has what it takes to be president.

Obama certainly was helped by outstanding speeches by Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton during the week. The speeches, which took McCain’s policies to task and were ringing endorsements of Obama’s candidacy, allayed many Democratic concerns about lingering fallout from what had been a hard-fought Democratic primary campaign.

Still, whether Obama can seal the deal with the American people doesn’t rest with the Clintons or on his sound pick of Joe Biden to be his running mate. Ultimately, it is up to Obama to show Americans who are still undecided, particularly those who live in crucial battleground states such as Nevada, why he should be elected president.

On Thursday night, the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the first African-American to be nominated by a major American political party to run for president made vital progress in his march to the White House.

Obama’s acceptance speech, before 84,000 people in a Denver stadium, was passionate and inspirational. Just as important, Obama showed that he understood the plight of Americans who are facing a stalled economy and a terribly run war in Iraq — courtesy of President Bush — and that he has concrete ways to restore America’s greatness.

McCain so far has offered up more of the same failed Bush policies, and Obama reminded Americans not to be hoodwinked by McCain’s “maverick” image.

“John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time,” Obama said. “Sen. McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90 percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.”

Americans are looking for change, and although it is a long time until Nov. 4, Obama took a giant first step Thursday toward making the case he is ready for the White House.