Enter Obama

In a country with a difficult history of race relations, Obama overcame more than skin colour to achieve his triumph. As the son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, his background is hardly that of a typical presidential candidate. And his victory comes less than four years after he left the Illinois state Senate. A major goal this week is convincing voters that he has the experience to understand their lives and step into the White House.

Obama, 47, was at his Denver hotel with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters when history was made. At evening’s end, he sent a jolt of electricity through the crowded arena when he strode onstage and embraced running mate Joe Biden, who made his convention debut with a speech that mixed autobiography with policy and pugnacity.

Saluting his erstwhile rival, Obama said: “If I’m not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house last night.” The crowd roared. “And just in case you’re wondering… President Clinton reminded us of what it is when you’ve got a President who actually puts people first.” The couple, along with their daughter, Chelsea, beamed from the VIP seats.

Obama’s installation as the Democratic nominee capped a swift rise that began four years ago at the party’s national convention when Obama delivered a soaring keynote address. Bookending his rise is Thursday night’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field, a football stadium expected to fill with more than 75,000 people.

On Wednesday, Democrats continued their pounding of Republican John McCain.

Senator John F Kerry of Massachusetts, the 2004 Democratic nominee who once considered McCain as a possible running mate, said “the candidate who once promised a ‘contest of ideas’ now has nothing left but personal attacks. How insulting. How pathetic. How desperate”.

Obama’s formal nomination as the Democrat’s standard-bearer came in a choreographed minuet that followed weeks of negotiations between the Clinton and Obama camps. The crowd took up a chant of “Hillary”, which gave way to “Obama” and “Yes, we can”. The presiding officer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, quickly slammed her gavel before any dissent could be heard, and the song Love Train blasted through the speakers.