Senator Obama to Accept Nomination Before at Least 76,000 People

There's no way that Senator McCain can match this. Senator McCain may draw less people for his acceptance speech than Congressman Ron Paul does for his speech that same week in a different arena in St. Paul.


Obama to accept nomination at football stadium

By BETH FOUHY

NEW YORK (AP) — In a break with tradition, Barack Obama will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High, a 76,000-seat stadium, rather than at the site of the party's national convention across town.

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean acknowledged the decision to move Obama's speech on the final night of the Aug. 25-28 convention to the giant open-air football field of the Denver Broncos would raise security challenges, but said he and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper had agreed such concerns won't deter the change in venue.

Dean, in a conference call with reporters, also batted away questions about logistical challenges and added costs the change would produce, saying those things would be worked out in the coming weeks.

Obama, speaking to reporters in St. Louis, said he was excited about the move.

"Sometimes our conventions don't feel like they are open to everybody," Obama said. "For us to be able to do it in Invesco Field is an opportunity for 80,000 people who might otherwise not have been able to participate to get involved."

It won't be the first time a presidential candidate has accepted the nomination in a stadium. On July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy gave his acceptance speech before tens of thousands at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

- rest at http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iv65dWFozYKp8tdz6Gpjoz3fZZXQD91P9CE00