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By John Kaponi Barack Obama the Democratic candidate for the US Presidency in a rousing speech at the Invesco Stadium in Denver, Colorado addressing Democrat delegates and an audience of billions around the world set the tone for the months ahead in the presidential elections by saying "This moment, this election, is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive."
Obama made a strong case for US foreign policy to be multilateral in its approach and drop the unpopular track adopted by Bush and the Republicans in the past by stating:
"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander in chief, that's a debate, I'm ready to have it."
Obama went on to attack his critics, "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country I will never hesitate to defend this nation."
On the Iraq ware Obama said McCain had lost credibility on foreign policy, by backing the Iraq war from the start and rejecting timetables for withdrawal now accepted by Bush.
"John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war," he said.
In the UK both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and David Cameron leader of the Opposition Conservative Party are considered supporters of Barack Obama with Cameron saying,
"I'm enjoying watching Barack Obama. I think he's a brilliant speaker, I think his optimism and sense of hope for the future is inspiring a lot of people. It's great to see. Too often [politics] gets down to hope and fear and I think it's wonderful when hope wins. I'm enjoying watching him, I must say. I think he's compelling," Cameron on the BBC.
The reaction in London has been mixed with callers to BBC London who listened to the speech live described his speech on the whole as "inspiring" one caller reacted negatively by stating he moved to find the "sick bag". Obama did not make a mass speech as in Berlin in London but many African-Londoners have expressed their support and admiration of Obama. photo credit: flckr.com
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