Obama to Rock the West

On August 28th, 2008, the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King’ “I Have a Dream” speech on the Washington Mall, Barack Obama will take to an outdoor venue high in the Rocky Mountains to officially claim the mantle of Democratic nominee for president in 2008. 19,000 adoring fans in the Pepsi Center wasn’t enough, possibly because a good many of them will actually be Hillaryites. So the event is being moved outdoors to Invesco Field at Mile High (the former non-corporately named Mile High Stadium), where more than 75,000 are expected to attend. Shades of JFK, who accepted the Democratic nomination in 1960 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles before a crowd estimated at 80,000. CNN has more details here.

The move is a logistical and security nightmare for the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee. But it will make for great television. The question remains… will Hillary be on stage at Invesco for a triumphant handraising, even if she is not on the ticket? Will Bill appear at all?