Obama's vision: 'This is the moment'
Updated on 04 June 2008
With words echoing Martin Luther King's "Now is the moment", Barack Obama declares himself Democratic nominee for the US presidency.
"This is the moment." With those words, an echo of Martin Luther King's "Now is the time", Senator Barack Obama set out his vision for an America under his presidency, declaring himself the Democratic nominee. And it is a moment of immense historical significance. After a marathon 15-month campaign, Senator Obama has become the first African American ever selected to run for the White House. Senator Obama immediately began the task of wooing all voters, not just Democrats. He sought to quash claims that he is soft on Iran by declaring he would do everything in his power to stop that country obtaining nuclear weapons. Meanwhile his Republican opponent, John McCain, threw down the gauntlet, challenging Obama to a series of face to face debates. A total of 2,118 pledged and "super" delegates were needed to secure the nomination at the convention in August. Last night Barack Obama finished with a projected 2,160 while Hillary Clinton only secured 1,933.
