Pelosi praises Obama, assails McCain

In her first convention speech as House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi played the role of presidential campaign surrogate, praising Democrat Barack Obama and leading a verbal assault on Republican John McCain.

“Republicans say John McCain has experience,” Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. “We say John McCain has the experience of being wrong.”

{mosads}Pelosi, who is the chairwoman of the convention, gaveled the gathering to order “to nominate a new leader for our time.”

Pelosi played a role similar to the one she took on four years ago at the Democratic convention in Boston.

Then the House minority leader, Pelosi extolled Democratic nominee John Kerry’s agenda of “prosperity, opportunity and security” and delivered some red-meat attacks on President Bush’s tax cuts and other economic policies that she said favored the wealthy.

Monday night, she led a chant in the hall that on the economy, minimum wage, healthcare, energy and Iraq, “Barack Obama is right and John McCain is wrong.”

And she sang the praises of Obama, who she said would bring the kind of change the country needs.

“To make America stronger, America needs a president who will honor our troops and responsibly end the war in Iraq,” Pelosi said. “For our children and grandchildren, America needs Barack Obama.”

Pelosi also worked to unify the party, opening her address with a nod to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) that won applause through the hall.

“All Democrats salute Sen. Hillary Clinton for her excellent campaign,” Pelosi said. “Our party and our country are strengthened by her candidacy.”