Click to play videoDenver: Obama compared himself to McCain on domestic and foreign policy in an impassioned speech before a cheering crowd at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
"If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have," he said.
He said he was able to lead the country into an era of change after what he called eight years of failed policies.
"America, we are better than these last eight years," he told supporters at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night in Denver Colorado. "This moment, this election, is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive."
Obama was greeted by tens of thousands of cheering supporters chanting "yes we can."
He emphasized his humble roots and the example of his grandparents' service to the nation and their family.
"I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine," he said. "These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as president of the United States."
"We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans - Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are to restore that legacy," he said.
"The same party that brought two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will work for the third term. We are here because we love our country too much to let next four years be like last eight. Eight is enough," he added.
He brushed aside critiques from his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, accusing him of being out of touch.
"It's not because John McCain doesn't care. it's because John McCain doesn't get it," he said of economic problems facing the country.
Point by point, he addressed McCain's policies on the Iraq war, the economy, offshore drilling and health care, accusing him of pursuing the same policies as the Bush administration.
He also said his judgment was better on foreign affairs, accusing McCain of turning his sights to Iraq days after the September 11 attacks when resources and attention should have been on Afghanistan.
"John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives," he said to cheers.
"It's not that McCain doesn't care. It's more that he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle class as someone who earns less than $5 million a year? Why else would he propose tax breaks for big companies but none for ordinary people? Why else woould he introduce a health plan that taxes benefits, an education plan that doesn't help families pay for college or a plan that privatizes social security and makes it a gamble for retirement?" Obama asked his audience.
"On issues that could make a difference in your lives - like health and education - McCain has been anything but independent under Bush. He said the economy has progressed and fundamentals are strong even as one of his chef advisors, man who wrote his economic plan, wrote about anxieties faced by Americans. He said we were suffering from mental rec and were a nation of whiners," sais Obama.
Obama, who is the first African-American to lead a major party ticket, is accepting his party's nomination on the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.
Earlier in the evening, other Democrats attacked McCain's policies.
Former Vice President Al Gore urged Americans to "seize the opportunity" to change course by voting for Barack Obama as president.
He reminded the audience at the Democratic National Convention of his failed bid to become president in 2000 when, he said, some believed there was so little difference between Republicans and Democrats that it did not matter who won the White House.
"Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush-Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them," Gore said.
"Hey, I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous," he joked.
Gore suggested the election was close because people feared the change the Obama represents, and compared him and his promise to fellow Illinoisan Abraham Lincoln.
"In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition," Gore said.
Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico greeted the crowd in English and Spanish before criticizing McCain for changing his views.
"Let's be honest America, McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes but we are the ones who will pay for his flip-flops," Richardson the crowd at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado.
He outlined differences between economic and foreign policies of the two candidates, saying Obama had the better ideas.
"That's the change America needs," he said.
Republican John Lewis of Georgia, a veteran of the civil rights movement, called Obama's nomination "a testament" to King's vision.
"We are making a down payment on the fulfillment of that dream," said Lewis. "We proved that a dream still burns in the heart of every American."
King's son, Martin Luther King III, described "the majesty" of his father's dream.
"On this day, exactly 45 years ago, my father stood on the National Mall in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln and proclaimed, 'I have a dream that one day, this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal,' " the younger King said.
"Let us give our nation a leader who has heard this clarion call and will help us achieve the change," he urged the crowd.
Democratic Party chair Howard Dean compared the candidates' plans for Iraq.
"Like George Bush, John McCain suggests spending $10 million in Iraq. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we ought to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end," Dean said.
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden know that this is not just about turning red states blue, it's about turning our country around," he said.
Tens of thousands of people, including celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Farrah Fawcett, packed into the football field Thursday night, with millions more expected to watch on television as Obama delivers what could be the biggest speech of his presidential campaign.
The campaign said it planned to put the attendees to work -- encouraging them sign up to volunteer and get involved in Obama's campaign.
In between the speeches, performers including Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and will.i.am performed songs and declared their support for Obama.
Thursday marks the end of the four-day Democratic convention in Denver, which included rousing speeches by Democratic heavyweights Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sen. Hillary Clinton.
The Republican National Convention is scheduled to start Monday in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.
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