'BIG FINISH'

Obama Makes Surprise Convention Appearance

By David Frey, 8-27-08

	Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama delighted supporters with a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Wednesday, one day before he was scheduled to speak at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, one night before he is to appear at Invesco Field at Mile High to a massive crowd.

“At the start of this campaign, we had a very simple idea, which was, change in America doesn’t start from the top down. It starts from the bottom up,” said Obama, explaining the decision for the massive rally.

His surprise appearance on stage delighted the crowd at the convention at the Pepsi Center, , where campaign workers hinted at a “big finish” as they handed out campaign signs.

“I thought it was great,” said Denver resident Bill Bush (no relation to the president, he noted), who had a ticket to the night’s events and to Thursday’s events at Mile High. It capped a night of interesting speeches, he said, after two previous nights he described as “mostly boring, with a couple highlights.”

Obama arrived in Denver on Wednesday after a visit to Montana, part of a tour of battleground states. He made a brief appearance on the convention stage after running mate Joe Biden delivered a speech that blasted Republican opponent as “more of the same.”

It was Obama’s second surprise appearance, of sorts, at the convention. On Monday, he appeared on a giant video screen to talk to his wife Michelle and their daughters after her speech.

Obama embraced Biden and he praised the speeches by his wife, former Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton, who spoke earlier on Wednesday.

“Just in case you were wondering,” Obama said, “I think President Clinton reminded us what it’s like when you have a president who actually puts people first.”

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