Mindful of failings,Obama asks for time

I wont pretend the path Im offering is quick or easy; I never have, Obama told a packed arena of 20,000 party leaders and activists. You didnt elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is,it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades.

He added: But know this,America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder,but it leads to a better place. And Im asking you to choose that future.

The presidents appearance at the Time Warner Cable Arena underscored the tumultuous journey he and the country have been on since his first nomination in Denver. Four years after fireworks consecrated his storybook campaign to become the nations first black president,Obama took the stage on Thursday as a politician who had come down to earth and was locked in the fight of his life against the Republican nominee,Mitt Romney.

The stirring outsiders message had become a policy-laden appeal for continuity; the mantra of reform was now a vigorous defence of his current course. The Change signs waved in the audience in 2008 had been replaced with placards saying Forward. The word promise, which he used 32 times in his acceptance speech in 2008,came up just 7 times on Thursday night.