Obama acceptance equal to the moment

Eight years ago, Barack Obama couldn't score a floor pass at his party's national convention. Four years ago, his keynote address stole the show.

Thursday night, he took the stage as the Democratic nominee for president, and gazing out at nearly 80,000 delirious Democrats, gave a speech of substance, grace and strength that explained how he could climb so far and so fast.

To a nation still trying to size him up, Obama filled in important gaps about the American ideals that shaped and propel him, and how he would change the country.

For 43 minutes, Obama methodically assembled the nuts and bolts of his policy goals into a framework for redefining the nation's economy and many of its fundamental institutions.

Some proposals were predictable. He pledged to increase investment in education at all levels. Others were bold, if not entirely credible, given his record. He promised to cut taxes for 95 percent of America's working families, an astonishing promise.

Obama borrowed from the conservative playbook, extolling the virtue of individual responsibility and committing himself to a line-by-line examination of the federal budget in search of wasteful spending. But he also embraced more liberal reforms, including increased access to health care through government insurance programs.

His commitment to new investment in the nation's infrastructure inspires enthusiasm. His promise to end the nation's dependence on foreign oil in 10 years inspires skepticism.

Obama has brought a remarkable level of detail and intellectual rigor to his "Blueprint for Change." The question now is whether he can defend his ideas in a head-to-head national debate with Republican Sen. John McCain, a man with a heroic character and a legislative record as significant as Obama's is thin.

Over months and miles, Obama overcame long odds to beat Hillary Clinton for the nomination.

Still, questions lingered about whether a man with a such a scholarly bearing could survive a street fight with Republicans. Those doubts were put to rest Thursday night at Mile High Stadium.

Obama showed the counter-punching ability he'll need to win the confidence of middle-class Americans. He called McCain out, addressing him directly, in a sharp critique that emphasized failed policies, not character assassination.

He was even more assertive in delivering a point-by-point refutation of virtually every criticism aimed at him by the McCain campaign. Obama left no attack unanswered as he defended his patriotism and his leadership skills.

Americans may not have heard complete answers this week to their questions about who Obama is and what he stands for. But he showed that his sense of himself and the moment was equal to the task of the coming campaign, if not to the White House itself.

At the very least, he finished Thursday's round fresh and on the offense for the fight ahead.