Take a Trip to America Sometime

That's it. Bring it right to him, lay it at his doorstep. And do it in such spectacular fashion that when the GOP comes to anoint St. John McBush at their convention the ground's still reverberating from the thunder of your supporters and the air still electrified by your vision.

You're the kind of Democrat we've been waiting for, Barack.

John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy - cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota - he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for.

Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who's ill, he'd understand that she can't afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to pass health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That's the change we need.

Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understand that we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future - an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. That's the change we need.

And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he'd understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America. That's why I'm running for President.

Hell yeah.

A little flavor from the local AP report:

A roar filled the Xcel Energy Center as Obama proclaimed himself the party's nominee in the same venue where Republican rival John McCain will collect his party's backing in three months.

Gerald Tate, 30, was among those grasping for words to describe his emotions.

With Obama's image covering a T-shirt on his tall frame, Tate thought back to the wintry start of the presidential campaign and marveled at how far it had come.

"It was something you dreamed would happen," Tate said. "But I really didn't think it would happen. He was going up against THE Democratic establishment."

Polly Carden was downright giddy.

"This man is going to be the next president. I can't wait!" Carden, 25, said after standing in line for hours to get into the arena.

"This person makes me feel about America how I always wanted to feel about America," Carden said. "He's the only candidate I have ever been to a rally for. He's the only candidate I've ever donated to. He's the only candidate I ever voted in a primary for. I campaigned for everyone I know to vote for this guy."

On MSNBC a little while ago, they said there were nearly 18,000 folks inside the Xcel Energy Center, with another 15,000 estimated outside. And now the GOP has to come right back there in September to hold their convention (and many of their noses) to nominate John McCain, who gave a speech that made him look like Pinocchio, had he been a very old wooden man instead of a boy, wishing he could be real. A speech so badly conceived and stiffly delivered, in such a dinky setting, so poorly attended that even Fox news was tearing him to pieces.

Ooh...that's gotta hurt.

Who was the genius that thought that would be a good idea? McCain might as well have challenged Obama to a game of hoops.