During the press conference, President-elect Obama praised General Shinseki's service to his country, and reinforced the importance of the sacred trust between America and her troops.

General Shinseki is the first Asian American to reach the rank of four-star general. He served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action.

On the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President-elect Obama stressed the importance of the post General Shinseki would hold.

"We owe it to all our veterans to honor them as we honored our Greatest Generation," the President-elect said. "Not just with words, but with deeds."

General Shinseki sat down for an interview with the Transition team to talk about his commitment to military families and the critical issues facing the VA.

I believe that Obama's inspirational leadership, contemplative nature and well-reasoned, forward-looking policies offer our troubled nation a real opportunity to face and overcome its many challenges at home and abroad.

On an array of domestic issues, including health care, education, tax policy, the environment and alternative energy sources, Obama promises a clean break from the recent past and tangible hope for a return to fiscal responsibility, economic security and true environmental stewardship, all of which are essential to restoring our greatness. Now, Obama must be aware of the hopes that he has raised through his discussion of these issues. Many people will rightly take his words as his commitment and will judge him accordingly.

On the international front, his thoughtful and responsible approach to extricating our troops from Iraq, reallocating our finite resources elsewhere in the war on terrorism, and reviving effective use of our diplomatic corps all warrant our support. To be successful in these endeavors, Obama must be an active student of history. In attempting to bring peace to the Middle East, for example, he should recognize that the United States has played a role in the region since Franklin Roosevelt went to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdul-Aziz. Obama must appreciate that he is not writing on an empty page and will need to be sensitive to that which has come before him.

Obama represents the better choice to successfully address the issues that dramatically affect the health and well-being of our nation today. The fact that he is also a black American adds special significance for me as someone who was witness to and participated in at least a part of the past century's discourse on civil rights.

Mathias served in the House of Representatives from 1961 until 1969 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate and served until 1987.

MCCAIN: You’ll have to tell me what’s changed. I love it when they say, “Oh McCain has changed.” And I say, “What have I changed on?” They can’t name a single issue or they’ll name an issue and its false. I’m the same guy. I’m proud of our campaign.

It is not exactly a winning message but the interview presented itself with a rather easy challenge: name McCain's flip-flops.

Think Progress identified 44 of them.

Since John McCain locked up his party's nomination and promised to run a respectful campaign in February, at least 106 independent, non-partisan fact checks have to debunked McCain campaign lies. Visit www.democrats.org/CountTheLies to see the updated Count the Lies counter.

FactCheck.org: McCain Afghanistan Ad "Recycles a Misleading" Charge and "Misrepresents" Obama's Votes. "A McCain-Palin ad calls Obama 'dishonorable,' while distorting his words and votes on troop funding. It accuses him of saying "our troops in Afghanistan" are just bombing villages and killing civilians. What Obama said, in context, was a criticism of U.S. military strategy, and not of American troops. It accuses Obama and "Congressional liberals" of voting repeatedly to cut off funding for troops, 'increasing the risk on their lives.' In fact, the votes were for bringing the troops home, cutting off funding only if the president failed to comply. The McCain-Palin campaign released the ad, titled 'Dangerous,' and said it would be televised nationally. It recycles a misleading, 14-month-old charge that Sen. Barack Obama disrespected U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan by accusing them of 'just air-raiding villages and killing civilians.' It also misrepresents votes in favor of withdrawing troops from Iraq as being votes 'increasing the risk on their lives.'" [FactCheck.org, 10/6/08: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/dishonorable.html]

Woodhouse also ripped McCain, who sought to postpone tomorrow night's first debate, that the President of the United States must be able to "walk and chew gum at the same time."

In Part I, Palin talked about the economic crisis but could not come up with an example of John McCain pushing for regulation.

An excerpt from Part II, set to air tonight, Palin attempted to explain the "Alaska's proximity to Russia = foreign policy experience" argument.

My name is Roy Gross. I’m a proud member of Teamsters Local 299 in Detroit, Michigan.

When I was a young man and wanted to start a family, I went to Detroit and landed a job as an automobile transporter. I delivered new cars from the assembly plants to dealerships around the country.

It was a great job, a Teamsters union job. You worked hard and it paid good wages, plus health care and pension. I worked there for 18 years. Working class families were doing well in Detroit until the Bush Administration took office, then everything changed.

Manufacturing jobs were exported by the hundreds of thousands and replaced with minimum-wage jobs in the so-called “New Economy.” I’m one of the lucky ones; I still have a job. But many of my friends and co-workers have lost their jobs and their homes.

If you ask me, this so-called “New Economy” is not working. We need a renewed economy. That’s why I’m seeing so many of my friends in Michigan - Democrats, Republicans and Independents - putting aside their differences to join this campaign.

Barack Obama will enact fair trade policies and work just as hard for us as we work for America. I will do everything I can, from now until Election Day, to put Michigan in the Obama column.

Monica Early, Ohio

I’m Monica Early from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Last January, someone sent me an e-mail containing so-called “facts” about Senator Obama. The e-mail painted a scary picture, questioning his faith and patriotism. I decided to do some fact-checking on my own and learned the truth.

What I discovered is that Barack Obama is a man of faith, a man of values and a man of action—someone who has shown his love for America by fighting for our people, helping communities left behind on Chicago’s South Side, fighting today for working families and the tax breaks we need to purchase a home, pay for college and save for retirement.

I am grateful for the e-mail that tried to scare me. It brought me here, an ordinary citizen, empowered by a leader who told me I could make a difference. Ohio is home to four of the fastest-dying cities in America. John McCain promises to continue the Bush economic policies that got us there.

Einstein said a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If we elect John McCain, then, according to Einstein, we surely would be insane.

We need change. We need President Barack Obama!

Wes Moore

Hi, my name is Wes Moore. Twelve years ago, I took an oath on the Bible to defend, support and protect the United States of America. Today, I cannot fathom a more perfect expression of my allegiance as a soldier and citizen than giving my full support for Barack Obama to be my next commander-in-chief.

Before I deployed for Afghanistan, my grandparents gave me a Bible. Inside, they wrote four simple words: have faith, not fear. Those words protected and guided me and the soldiers under my command during some of the most trying days of my life.

I want a president who has a comprehensive strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan, and who can rally young people to serve, both in and out of uniform, and sees these as complementary, not contradictory goals. I want a president who believes in supporting our troops while we are fighting overseas, and supporting us with proper health care and education when we come home.

This election is not about history. Nor is it about making history. It’s about seizing history.

The charge my grandparents gave me—have faith, not fear—is the same challenge I issue tonight. A faith that this nation can rise to meet any challenge.

Tonight, Senator Obama is not asking you to have faith in him. He is asking you to have faith with him. Let’s make Barack Obama our next president.

The Honorable Janet Monacco, Florida

I’m Janet Monaco from Rockledge, Florida, by way of Long Island, New York. Fourteen years ago I moved to Florida to pursue my vision of the American dream. Within five years, I had bought a house and opened two pet stores. I was living well.

Then disaster struck: back-to-back hurricanes, and rising costs of food and gas. Today, I’m a struggling small-business owner who is diabetic and without health insurance. I work 70-hour weeks at the store and more hours in a part-time job and still can’t afford insurance.

I don’t tell this story to get sympathy. Everyone has challenges. But what gets me angry is that George Bush and John McCain have done nothing for people like me—and, in fact, have done plenty of things that make it even harder to get by. Huge tax breaks for those at the top. Looking out for the lobbyists and not the little guy. And billions spent in tax cuts for big corporations, but not enough for small businesses like mine.

I’m supporting Barack Obama, because we can’t afford four more years of the same. Yes, we can make a change!

Nathaniel Fick

Good afternoon. I’m Nathaniel Fick. My Marine platoon landed in Afghanistan on a moonlit night in 2001. A little more than a year later, we rolled into Iraq. I’ll never forget one dawn after a vicious gun battle. We’d just medevaced one of our wounded Marines, and I turned to see a small American flag hanging from a humvee’s antenna. For a second, it reminded me of the line we all know so well: “And our flag was still there.”

I registered as a Republican at 18 and voted for John McCain in 2000. It took seven years of hard experience to get me on this stage. But we cannot afford more of the same. That’s why we need Barack Obama and Joe Biden to lead us beyond the tired divisions of the past. They have the judgment to make the right decisions, leading our military, and uphold our highest ideals.

Everyone who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan has left something: a friend, a limb, a piece of their youth. In those palm groves and on those ridge lines, this is personal for us. I don’t want to retreat; I want to win.

The past seven years have been hard, often heartbreaking. Our flag, however, is still there. Let’s move forward in our quest to live up to the idea of America.

Teresa Brito-Asenap, New Mexico

Buenas noches, good evening.

I am Teresa Brito-Asenap from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first nine years of my life my grandparents worked with me to study and learn. They always talked about the importance of education. But it was not until third grade that I realized that mi abuelita, my grandmother, could neither read nor write.

But because of them, today I hold a doctorate in education. I owe them and my parents everything. Strong families raise strong students. All they need are world-class schools and dedicated teachers. Yet because of George W. Bush and John McCain, our schools don’t have the resources they need to meet the high standards of No Child Left Behind.

We don’t need four more years of the same. We need to turn the page and put our kids at the head of the class. Barack Obama will invest $10 billion a year in early education funding and give any student who wants to go to college a $4,000 tax credit. That’s the change we need and the change Barack Obama will bring as president of the United States.

Arriba y adelante – si se puede!

Pamela Cash-Roper, North Carolina

I’m Pam from Pittsboro, North Carolina. Wait till you hear what’s happening to me.

You might find my story familiar. Maybe it’s happening to you.

My husband, Keith, and I used to have a modest home we could afford, cars, money in a 401(k) plan, health insurance, and our health. We educated ourselves, got good jobs with benefits, worked night and day, raised four happy children, and saved some money.

It was the American dream. We did everything we thought you were supposed to do to live it. We really felt America was working for us.

Then, eight years ago, our American dream turned into a nightmare. Keith needed open-heart surgery. He lost his job and with it the family’s health insurance. I couldn’t afford to pay for health insurance on my nurse’s income, so we don’t have any.

Having no health insurance works – as long as you stay healthy.

Five years after Keith’s surgery, I had a quadruple bypass, and our medical expenses grew.

I’m a lifelong Republican who voted for Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and Bush. But I can’t afford four more years like this.

That’s why I am supporting Barack Obama as my president.

Barney Smith, Indiana

My name is Barney Smith.

For most of my life, I was a proud Republican.

Growing up in the Indiana heartland, America was a place of boundless opportunity. You could go to the town factory and get a job the same day. You could start a family and buy a house with your salary.

My father started at Marion’s RCA plant in 1949, manufacturing picture tubes for TV sets.

I started in 1973. My wife worked in a high school cafeteria. Together, we made a living and raised a family.

Then, in 2004, the plant closed. Today, a foreign worker does my job.

After 31 years, I received 90 days’ severance pay and was unemployed.

Thirteen months later, I got a job at a distribution center.

Republicans talk about putting “country first,” but tell that to Marion, Indiana. They sent my job overseas.

America can’t afford more of the same. We need a president who puts the Barney Smiths before the Smith Barneys.

I’m going to put country first by voting Barack Obama for president.

The heartland needs change. And with Obama, we’re going to get it.

Because at a time when young men and women are dying for our country overseas, America faces a question worthy of silent reflection. And the American people are watching to see how we answer it. What is the best measure of a person's capacity to protect this country? There are often moments of great importance that go unnoticed in the unruly course of history.

And six years ago, there was a moment of great clarity and foresight. And if the world had known to listen, perhaps today there would be less heartache and sorrow. In October 2002, on a small stage before a small crowd, Barack Obama gave a speech that was barely noticed at the time.

In the midst of great fervor—brought about by an administration that questioned the patriotism of anyone who disagreed with it—Barack Obama called the coming war what it was: “a war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.” He was right!

Barack's words were prescient and brave. “I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East—and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al-Qaida.” He was right!

He said: “a successful war against Iraq would require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.” He was right!

Instead, Barack Obama urged President Bush—who’s never in the mood to be urged in a direction other than his own folly—to finish the fight with bin Laden and Al-Qaida. He was right!

Six years ago, in this simple but forceful speech, Barack Obama did more than just challenge President Bush. He offered a detailed vision for foreign policy—including the vigorous enforcement of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty—condemnation of human rights abuses even among our allies—and a commitment to reconciliation between Pakistan and India. He was right!

At the same time, there was another voice. After 9/11, John McCain turned his sights toward Iraq—a country that had nothing to do with 9/11—and called for a full-scale invasion. Barack Obama foresaw chaos. John McCain said we'd be welcomed as liberators, and that Iraq would pay for its own rebuilding. John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right!

Barack Obama was among the first to call for a timetable for responsible withdrawal. But John McCain, to this day, condemns the idea. The Iraqis are calling for a withdrawal timetable, but John McCain would keep us in Iraq for 100 years. John McCain is wrong. Barack Obama is right.

And Barack Obama saw the foolishness of embracing Pakistan’s Musharraf. John McCain thought we should support the dictator and let him take care of the Pakistani terrorists. Musharaff is now gone, and the terrorists are stronger than ever. John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.

With America fighting two wars, the 9/11 terrorists still at large, Iran pursuing nuclear weapons

and Russia in Georgia, America needs a president who gets it right the first time. That president will be Barack Obama. With a vision of foreign policy that has ranged far beyond Iraq, Barack Obama has found a kindred spirit in another leader of great strength and wisdom—Joe Biden.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must fight the terrorists—not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be—like Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must lead a global effort to secure loose nuclear materials, not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be, in Russia, and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

It's time we had a president committed to fighting poverty in the Third World and ending the genocide in Darfur; who leads international efforts to stop global warming, strengthens our friendship with Mexico and Latin America, and stands behind Israel with full-time diplomacy to achieve peace in the Middle East; a president who ends the global scourge of AIDS in our time and sets an example of moral leadership by following our constitution, shutting down Guantanamo, and ending torture.

We must do all of this, not because we imagine these are American ideals, but because we know they are.

And ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe it’s time to finish the job and get bin Laden. We don’t need another four years of more of the same. It’s time for the change America needs. This is the judgment and vision of Barack Obama. This is the preparation he has to be President of the United States. And this is the man we need to return our country into the goodwill of other nations and the grace of history. Thank you, and God bless our country.

When people see me, sometimes they’ll ask, “Iraq?” Regardless of their politics, they’ll often say: “Thank you for your sacrifice,” which I appreciate. But I never forget that many have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making my own trivial.

Marines do not pick and choose missions; our leaders do.

I believe the war was a bad idea and poorly planned at the highest levels. Despite my views, I, as most Marines, would proudly serve my country again. But our sense of duty and our sacrifices do not validate our leaders’ decisions. The notion that criticism of the war dishonors our sacrifices makes no sense. Nor should past sacrifice compel us, as Senator McCain seems to think, to pursue a badly-defined notion of victory at any cost.

Our president, with the support of Senator McCain, has made decisions that have set America on a course unsustainable in dollars, lives and military readiness. President Bush made a disastrous gamble in Iraq in 2003. Now, Senator McCain proposes to double down with money and troops we cannot afford to lose.

America is ready for a different approach.

It’s time for a change.

We need a president with the judgment to make tough decisions about where and when to risk American lives. Barack Obama showed that judgment in 2002. He’s showing that judgment now, in planning a reasonable and responsible drawing down of the war.

On November 4, America will elect a new commander-in-chief. The best way you could thank me for my service and sacrifice—the best way we can ensure a safer and stronger America—is to vote for Barack Obama.

Acts of courage like theirs happen everywhere American troops serve. They are happening right now. I know that—so does my family. My father served in Vietnam, my brother served in the Coast Guard, my husband just returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom. We served because we believe in this great nation and the opportunities it has given us. And because our service members support us, we must always keep the faith with them.

The administration of George Bush—supported by John McCain every step of the way—has let our warriors down. Our troops are courageous, strong and fierce. This administration has re-deployed them until they are overstretched, stressed and strained.

Our warriors should fight in Afghanistan where al-Qaida and the Taliban are on the offensive.

But instead of destroying the enemies who attacked us on 9/11, we have diverted our military might to Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11. When our warriors come home they deserve the best VA medical care, but too often they get bureaucracy, not benefits. They find inadequate access, inferior facilities and infuriating paperwork.

And now, John McCain wants to ration care. Under his plan, the VA will serve combat injuries, but everyone else gets an insurance card. Barack Obama and the Democrats have a different idea. Barack Obama will live up to their tradition of honor and sacrifice. Barack Obama will use war not as a first choice, but a last resort. Barack Obama understands that for a commander-in-chief to support the military, he needs more than a “Mission Accomplished” banner, more than wearing a borrowed flight suit, and definitely more than four more years of the same failed foreign policy.

President Obama will restore the might of the military, invest in our troops and only send our sons and daughters to war if they have a clearly defined mission and the tools they need to succeed.

I speak from more than a gut feeling on this. I know Barack Obama. I met him when he visited me and other wounded troops at Walter Reed. He came without reporters. He wasn’t looking for credit. He just cared about how we were doing. He knew that wherever you stand on the war, you must love the warrior, and he does.

I testified before his committee; I listened to him talk, but then I watched what he did and how he voted. As a Senator, Barack Obama worked to improve the lives of all our veterans. He fought to fix our rundown hospitals. He fought to cut through the red tape. Unlike John McCain, Barack Obama fought for a new GI bill—and won—so that every veteran has the same opportunity to pursue their American dream just like his grandfather had after World War II. So I know what he’ll do as president.

An America with President Obama will have a 21st century VA. He’ll improve access to health care. He’ll speed up disability claims. He’ll increase services for nationwide post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries as we have already done in Illinois under Governor Blagojevich’s leadership.

And Barack Obama will have a simple principle for homeless veterans: zero tolerance, because we are all dishonored when those who’ve worn the uniform sleep on our streets. But here’s what he won’t do: President Obama will reject John McCain’s plan to privatize the VA system. We won’t force veterans to search for medical care with nothing but a plastic card and the promise of payment. We won’t have means testing for access to the VA. Why? Because Barack Obama knows this: no one asked us where we lived or how much money we had when we enlisted, and no one should ask us that after we’ve bled for our country.

Fellow Democrats, fellow Americans: I believe in this nation that I love more than my own life.

Today we have an opportunity to honor our military men and women by living up to that soldier’s creed. Today we have an opportunity to give our veterans the benefits they rightfully earned. Today we have the opportunity to change our relations with the world.

I believe that America will elect the leader who has always fought to keep our nation’s promise to our veterans. I believe America will elect the leader who can best keep this nation strong.

Barack Obama is right for our military. Barack Obama is right for our veterans. Barack Obama is right for our country. And that’s why Barack Obama will be our next commander-in-chief.

God bless you, and always, God bless America.

In 2002, I had a chance to visit Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. In the presidential palace, President Karzai sat with a small group of us and confided that all he had in the entire national treasury was $2 million. He couldn’t pay the salaries of staff. They couldn’t even pay for the lights. But he said, “In spite of all the adversity and in spite of all the many challenges we face, we are optimistic.” And then he said something I have always remembered, “We want to be like you.”

Yet, in the six years since, we don’t hear other countries expressing that aspiration. In less than a decade we have gone from being perceived as the beacon for democracy and justice all over the globe, to a country whose government has little respect for even the most basic tenets of human rights. We know that’s not us. We’re better than that.

Our next president is going to inherit the most daunting set of foreign policy challenges since Harry Truman. He had to build a new international order from the rubble of the Second World War. And in this new world, we cannot afford four more years of failure and decline. We need to set a new course.

And this week, we are here to do just that, to replace the poor judgment and mis-leadership of George W. Bush with the judgment and leadership of Barack Obama. If the Bush administration has proven anything, it’s that length of service is no substitute for good judgment and strong leadership.

Together, Vice President Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and John McCain brought more than a century of experience to our foreign policy challenges. And what did that get us? One international debacle after another.

We deserve better than John McCain’s jokes about bombing Iran or his denials that Iraq has distracted us from Afghanistan. We deserve better than a foreign policy that’s more confrontational than George W. Bush, and fails to address the complex challenges of a changing world. We need leaders who recognize both our national interest and our shared challenges, who will pay attention to both allies and enemies, and who will truly make America safer and stronger. I can think of none better than Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Across the world, there are enough stockpiles of uranium and plutonium to build 40,000 nuclear weapons. Senator Obama worked with a Republican, Dick Lugar, to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists. Barack Obama believes it is inexcusable that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. And he understands that we’ve got a job to finish there.

Republicans, Democrats and Independents know that it is long past time we have a foreign policy that deals with the threats of the future, not the past, and is as smart as it is strong.

We need Barack Obama and Joe Biden to give us renewed standing, new direction and new hope. As Americans, our strength is our great blessing, and our freedom is our great inheritance. As the 44th president, Barack Obama will secure once more that strength and freedom. And together, we will reclaim America’s rightful role as a beacon of hope and possibility.

Thank you.

As someone who had the privilege of commanding paratroopers, I know the tremendous sacrifices our troops and their families are making. They deserve leadership worthy of their sacrifice. Leadership that unites us, drawing on that unique American spirit which, at every stage in our nation's history, has enabled us to turn adversity into advancement, and tragedy into triumph. That's the type of leadership that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will provide.

Each day, our servicemen and women risk their lives and do everything in their power to seize the objective. But the strength and security of our nation is not solely the charge of those who serve in uniform. It rests with each and every one of us-in the choices we make; the values we teach our children; the commitments we keep to family, community, and country. The power of American ideals will always remain unsurpassed, so long as we, as citizens, accept the responsibility to advance the causes of freedom and equality.

My father was a school janitor, after serving in the Navy during World War II. Like many parents, he and my mother valued education and civic duty. My dad would often go in early to help kids get to school safely, and stay late so folks could hold community meetings. They taught me there is heroism in every citizen willing to sacrifice to strengthen our society. Barack Obama shares these values. He was raised with these values. And he lives them every day - through his storied career in public service.

Recently, I joined Senator Obama and Senator Chuck Hagel on a bipartisan trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. We were all impressed with the heroism and dedication of our troops. What also struck me was the astounding level of admiration, enthusiasm, and respect that our troops have for Senator Obama. Everywhere we went Barack was surrounded by soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who simply wanted an opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for his efforts and leadership. Our men and women in uniform know a leader when they see one.

During our trip, our days were filled with visits to forward operating bases, military hospitals, meetings with troops, and briefings with senior officials. Barack Obama demonstrated, like he has time and again, that he will be a superb commander-in-chief.

There is a clear choice in this election: For eight years, John McCain has fallen in line with every one of George Bush's national security decisions, and now he offers up four more years of the same failed policies.

Barack Obama has proven he has the judgment to deliver the change we need.

While Senator McCain was a cheerleader-in-chief for the Bush Administration's rush to a war against a nation that posed no imminent threat, Barack Obama and I opposed the war in Iraq from day one.

While Senator McCain said that we'd be greeted as liberators in Iraq, Barack Obama warned of an "occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences."

While Senator McCain supported policies that took the pressure off al-Qaida and allowed bin Laden to remain at large, Barack Obama said as early as 2002 that we needed to focus on finishing the fight against bin Laden and al-Qaida.

And as commander-in-chief, he will keep that commitment.

The courage of our soldiers and the generosity of the American people is limitless, but after eight years of the Bush Administration, our national security resources are limited. We cannot keep sending our troops to fight in Iraq, on tour after tour, without a clear mission and a strategy for success. Our military is overstretched, our military families are overburdened and other pressing security threats go unchecked.

But Senator McCain wants to stay in Iraq indefinitely, spending $10 billion a month while Iraqi politicians sit atop a $79 billion surplus. We cannot afford more of the same from John McCain.

It's time to responsibly end the war in Iraq, and that's what Barack Obama will do.

Barack Obama will work with our military commanders to begin the phased redeployment of our troops out of Iraq in 16 months. He will only keep troops in Iraq to target al-Qaida, protect our forces, and train Iraqi troops. Barack Obama will restore our military and shift more resources to finish the job George W. Bush has failed to do: hunt down bin Laden and destroy his network.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have laid out a strategic vision to end the war in Iraq and strengthen our nation at home. They will use every tool in our diplomatic, economic and military power to meet these goals. And after eight years of a politics based on division, they will once again summon Americans to a common purpose.

And together, with Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the helm, America will rise to meet the challenges of our time and turn the page to a new, more hopeful, more prosperous and more secure chapter in our nation's great history.

Thank you.

In high school, I won the Rocky Mountain Empire Award for reciting, in alphabetical order, the 51 members of the United Nations. Back then, the task was not so hard, but the world now is more fragmented, with more countries, multiple centers of power and many sources of danger. We have learned that American foreign policy is not foreign anymore.

Overseas problems, if unaddressed, inevitably come home to America. They affect the lives of our fighting men and women; the size of our pay checks; the security of our borders; the health of our environment; and the ability of our families to work and play free from the threat of terror.

We cannot afford four more years like the past eight years—policies that embolden our enemies, undermine our economy, and place an unfair burden on the heroes of our armed forces. John McCain asks that we trust Republicans to safeguard our national security. To which we can only reply: why would we?

The Bush-Cheney decision to invade Iraq was an assault advertised as a strike against terror that distracted from the fight against terror, and a blow aimed at extremists that strengthened radicals. Senator McCain says that American troops should remain in Iraq perhaps as long as they have been stationed in Korea and Japan, as if there were no difference in history, religion or culture between our friends in Asia and those in the Middle East.

Senator McCain claims to already know everything a president needs to know, but the first qualification any leader needs to have is the ability to learn. We need a president who is not wedded to 20th century thinking, who can forge a network of power and principle that will keep America strong and safe in the 21st century.

On Inauguration Day, President Barack Obama will speak to the generation now coming of age.

He will summon all to a new era where technology is harnessed to improve people’s lives; where partnerships are forged to address global challenges; where democracy is promoted, not imposed; and where alliances are strengthened to turn back the tides of intolerance and hate.

No president can be expected to solve every problem, but Senator Obama has already shown that he has the toughness and good judgment needed to confront our enemies without alienating friends; to defeat the practitioners of terror without creating more terrorists; and to demonstrate that the American dream still has meaning for people everywhere.

Senator Obama speaks to our hopes, to our belief in ourselves, to the future and to the better angels of our nature. With his superb choice for vice president, Senator Joe Biden, he will keep our country secure while returning it to its rightful place as the world’s most respected champion of law, prosperity and peace.

This year’s election is among the most critical in our nation’s history. We cannot afford once again to make the wrong choice or to be taken in by the politics of fear. With our help, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will win in November, and so will America. Barack Obama will work hard every day as our president. So let us work hard every day to see that he has that chance.

Thank you very much, and God bless.

One day, my gunner said to me, “Sir, what are we doing here?” Baghdad was a stop on a journey that began for me 15 years ago when I first put on the uniform of the United States Army. My journey took me from ROTC cadet to West Point professor to captain in the 82nd Airborne Division and eventually to the United States Congress. For me, a blue-collar kid from a row house in northeast Philadelphia, this was the chance to not only serve the country I love, but to live the American dream.

When I returned from Iraq, I realized we didn’t just need change over there, we also needed to change how we treat our veterans here at home. For eight long years, we’ve had a president who rushed to stand with soldiers at political rallies but abandoned them at Walter Reed. We’ve had a president who spent billions on private contractors but not on body armor for our troops. We’ve had a president who was there for the photo ops, but AWOL when it came to doing right by our veterans. It is time for a change.

In the Army, we have a saying: “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” It is time for a president who leads. And it’s time for a commander-in-chief who knows that leadership means serving our troops as well as they serve our country.

Barack Obama will be that commander-in-chief. With a grandfather who marched in General Patton’s army, Senator Obama understands the needs of our nation and our military. That’s why he led the fight to end the injustice at Walter Reed and end homelessness among our veterans. That’s why he led the fight to make sure that returning veterans get the mental health care they deserve. And that’s why I am proud to stand with him as he leads the fight for a smarter and tougher foreign policy, so that we can finally end the war in Iraq, go after the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 and defeat them where they are strongest, in Afghanistan.

Our brave men and women in uniform and our great country cannot afford more of the same. It is time for the change our troops, our veterans and our country need. It is time for Barack Obama.

Stephanie wrote from Georgia: “I know what it feels like to miss home with such a great force that it is in your every waking thought and breath. When I got back from Iraq, my husband and I were soon expecting our first child. When I was seven months pregnant, he left for Iraq. Our son will be a year old before he comes home.”

We must end the stress and heartache the war in Iraq has caused our military families. Barack Obama will guarantee our troops equal time at home for length of their deployments. John McCain opposes it.

Barack Obama will responsibly end the war and restore America’s leadership in the world because families like Stephanie’s can’t afford McCain’s plan to stay the course in Iraq.