US presidential election

Democrats unanimously nominate Obama

Article published on the 2008-08-28 Latest update 2008-08-28 06:45 TU

Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
(Photo : Reuters)

Barack Obama was ushered into history Wednesday night by a roaring crowd of delegates and supporters, who – at former rival Hillary Clinton’s request – stopped the roll call of states, and made the nomination unanimous.

Obama is now officially the first African-American nominee of a major party in the United States. Only a few decades ago some blacks were denied the vote, now one of their number stands a step away from the presidency.

Obama made a surprise appearance on stage not long after the acclamation, showing up a day before his scheduled acceptance speech tomorrow night.

“Change in America doesn’t start from the top down,” he told the crowd, “it starts from the bottom up.”

Earlier in the evening, former President Bill Clinton delivered a belated but enthusiastic endorsement of the new candidate.

“Everything I’ve learned in eight years as president and the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job,” Clinton said.

“We prevailed in a campaign in which the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. Sound familiar?” Clinton asked.

Obama’s vice-presidential running-mate, Joe Biden, also gave a hard-hitting speech on Republican foreign policy, saying that the USA doesn’t need a “good soldier” but a “wise leader” to guide it through troubled times.

Declaring America is less secure and more isolated now than at any time in recent history, Biden told the gathered delegates that, “we cannot afford four more years like the past eight years.”

Obama and Biden's presumed Republican opponent, John McCain, has reportedly decided on a vice-presidential running mate, and he'll make the choice public on Friday.