Monday October 29, 2007

He's been running second behind Hillary Clinton basically since they started 2008 presidential polling. But Monday night at the Pavillion, you'd never have known it.

Barack Obama was welcomed like a rock star and he told the crowd exactly what it wanted to hear.

He offered his opinions on issues like Iraq.

"I will call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama promised the crowd of 4,250. "It will be the first thing I do. They will have a new mission and that is to start bringing our boys and girls home."

He also got the audience going when he talked about health care.

"I am angry that we have, in the wealthiest nation on earth, 47 million people without health insurance and millions more who are just barely hanging on."

Obama even brought Governor Tim Kaine into the program by mentioning pre-Kindergarten education, a cause the governor has actively sought to expand.

"We couldn't make a better investment in our children's learning. We can close the achievement gap between black and brown and white kids in this society."

Obama took both guarded shots at chief rival Hillary Clinton, as well as coming right out and saying Hillary's wrong on foreign policy.

He also let the crowd know that it's not just democrat and independent support he's counting on next fall...

"You even see some Republicans out here. I know the Republicans because when I'm shaking hands afterwards, they whisper to me. They say 'Barack, I'm a republican but I support you.' I say 'thank you, but why are we whispering?'"