PARTNERS: Barack Obama and his vice presidential running mate, Joseph Biden, wave to
supporters after accepting the Democratic nomination in Denver on August 29

Standing on the podium at Denver's Invesco Field in front of 84,000 people, Senator Barack Obama made a soaring speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on the final night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 28.

Speaking on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have A Dream" speech, Obama said, "It is that American spirit-that American promise-that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend."

The four-day Democratic Party gala was virtually a party for Obama, the first African American to be nominated for president by a major political party. A series of prepared speeches and presentations by important party members and delegate representatives have tried to persuade voters that this 47-year-old Illinois senator is the right person to be the next U.S. president.

One of the DNC's most exciting moments came when Hillary Clinton, Obama's strongest rival during the primaries, delivered a passionate speech on August 26 calling on Democrats, including the 18 million who voted for her, to unite behind Obama and elect him president.

"Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose," Clinton said. "We are on the same team."

The speech targeted a specific audience-disappointed Clinton supporters who have threatened to vote for the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain. Analysts agreed that Clinton was successful in persuading her supporters to vote for Obama, even though some of them like Sandy Cleary, a pledged Clinton delegate from Ohio, said they would vote for Obama simply because "Hillary asked me to do so."

The convention gave Obama a boost in polls conducted by Gallup, a well-known U.S. opinion polling organization. Based on interviews held August 26-28, Gallup Poll Daily tracking figures showed that Obama led McCain 49 percent to 41 percent among registered voters nationwide. Before the convention, the two candidates were tied at 45 percent. Candidates traditionally see their numbers rise after their party's convention, so McCain should expect a similar jump after Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Now that his nomination is official, Obama starts campaigning in the general election, which will take place November 4. And he has chosen the running mate he most wanted to enter the White House with him.

Obama-Biden ticket

Obama announced Delaware Senator Joseph Biden as his vice presidential pick on August 23, two days before the convention began. Biden, 65, beat out other short-listed candidates, including Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Indiana Senator Evan Bayh.