Blogging Barack Obama’s Convention Speech

Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination for president in a much-awaited address Thursday at his party’s convention.

The Briefing Room will liveblog tonight’s convention session at Invesco Field in Denver, starting with former Vice President Al Gore’s speech. Obama will speak after 10 p.m.

Obama burst on to the national political scene with his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention.8:45 p.m.: Al Gore just took the stage at Invesco Field.

“The question facing us, simply put, is will we seize this opportunity for change,” he began.

He then started to tie John McCain to President Bush.
“Today, we face essentially the same choice as we faced in 2000,” said Gore, referring to the year he ran against Bush. “John McCain… is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House… Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous.”

8:50 p.m.: Gore is now playing political pundit.

“I believe this election is so close today because the forces of the status quo are so desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents,” he said.

“In spite of John McCain’s past record of open-mindedness and past leadership, he has now allowed his own party to browbeat him” for his support of caps on greenhouse gas emissions, Gore added.

8:53 p.m.: Gore is reprising the theme of his own 2000 nomination acceptance speech — the people versus the powerful.

“The special interests [in the Republican Party] are so powerful that serving them and serving the national being are irreconcilable choices,” he said.

8:55 p.m.: