David and I are in Invesco Field, among tens of thousands of delegates, reporters, and Denver residents awaiting Barack Obama’s acceptance speech tonight. We’re glad to be inside — outside the line snakes more than a mile out from the stadium. They’re expecting more than 75,000 attendees tonight, and the security line is a giant mess, according to folks we know still waiting outside.
So far we’ve seen a whole list of party higher-ups, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean. Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem. Wil.i.am, Sheryl Crow, and Stevie Wonder are also slated to perform.
It also happens to be the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and his daughter, Rev. Bernice King, and son, Martin Luther III, just addressed the crowd. People in the stands seem absolutely giddy in anticipation, waving flags and pounding their feet on the bleachers.
We got an advance copy of the speech, and I’ll post key excerpts shortly. But heads up — watch for the shout-outs to “clean coal,” natural gas, and nuclear power. They come before he mentions wind and solar. Anyway, there will be several minutes devoted to energy issues in his big speech. We’ll have more shortly.
Before that, we’ll have some coverage of Al Gore’s speech. And after Obama, Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of the Northland Church in central Florida and a leader of the evangelical environmental movement, will give the benediction.
