John Edwards endorses, he and Obama speak: liveblog

By GottaLaff

I'm watching MSNBC, and Obama just smiled his way up through a roaring crowd to speak:

"I am fired up!"

I decided to give you something special... I wasn't just gonna do the same old thing in Michigan. I'm gonna bring in one of the greatest leaders in the Democratic Party... JOHN EDWARDS!

Edwards smiles his way up to the stage now. And what a smile it is!

John Edwards:

So the question is: What am I doing here? I was promised a jet ski, and I haven't gotten it yet. I am proud to be in Michigan.

I want to say a word about Hillary Clinton. ... LOUD BOOS... I've gotten to know her well in the past few weeks. She cares about those who don't have health care, about the men and women who want to go to work... (paraphrased)... and what I've learned is that she believes within every fiber of her being is that we need change to make America what it's been. I know it's hard to understand, but it's very hard to get up every day and do what she's done... fight and speak up when the odds turn against you... she's shown strength and character.. What drives her is her caring about people... this tenacity has shown her strength and determination... she is a leader not because of her husband, but because of what SHE has done, speaking out, standing up... CHEERS... When this is over, and it will be over soon... LOUD CHEERS... we must come together as Democrats and in the fall stand up for what matters for the future of America... And we are a stronger party because Hillary Clinton is a Democrat...

Now....What brought all of US here... is the profound... INTERRUPTED BY CHEERS OF "OBAMA...OBAMA"... the profound belief that we can change this country. ... End war in Iraq... better schools... cleaner energy... good jobs... anxiety can change when we make 2 Americas ONE America. This is why you're here. We have so much work to do. There are walls dividing the way things are, the one America. There's one around D.C. and the American people are on the outside, on the inside are lobbyists. Working men and women see that wall. When they get bullied at work because they want to join a union. When they can't pay for college. When the CEO gets the golden parachute. When their wages drop and their kids go hungry, and who's doing just fine? The insiders. The special interests. Next year we tear that wall down! LOUD CHEERS...

There is another wall: The moral shame of our own who wake up in poverty. [he expounds on this] This is not okay. For 8 long, long years, this wall has gotten taller. And a wall that divides our 2 public school systems... We're gonna fix that system...

How about health care? The big drug companies, etc. love that wall just the way it is. It's gonna be gone when we create real universal health care... CHEERS...

And our beacon of hope is behind that wall. There are bullies: A gov't. that tortures... that wall has to come down for the sake of our ideas and security. And we can change it, YES WE CAN. ... CROWD: YES WE CAN... And the reason I am here tonight, is because the Democratic voters of America have made their choices and so have I.

There is one man who can create the lasting change, who knows in his heart it's time to create one America, not 2, and that man is Barack Obama... HUGE CHEERS. This will be the fight of our lives. ... This election is about taking down these walls to see what's possible: One America that we can build together. Obama understands that to his core...

[talks about One America] Tackle poverty, health care crisis, one public school system, equal chance to a quality education... Rebuild moral authority in the world... One America where the wall will fall when War in Iraq ends in 2009... We will take care of our veterans... We will never stand by while 150,000 veterans sleep under bridges, not in our America! Not when Obama is president of the U.S.A.! ... LOUD CHEERS...

We've come together before, we will meet this challenge again. This is who we are. This...is our moment, our time to build One America that we all believe in. If you believe in that, then join me in sending Barack Obama to the White House in November... HUGE CHEERS... No matter who you are, the color of your skin, none of these things will control your destiny... these things we talked about will be achieved by Barack Obama in 2009.