Obama Rally in Des Moines

I was unable to attend the Obama rally in Des Moines this morning.  Instead we had a half day of school where I was stuck with recess duty and am now working on report cards.

KCCI is reporting that 25,000+ were in attendance and they have some video of Obama's speech.

Iowa Independent has great coverage of the rally.

“I won’t stand here and pretend things are going to be easy,” Obama said. “President Bush dug a pretty deep hole, and he’s trying to hand the shovel to John McCain.”

But together, America can overcome the challenges it faces. “In the last eight years we’ve lost the idea that in this American story, each of us has a role to play,” Obama said. 

“We have to re-instill a common purpose. All of us have to summon the strength to bridge our differences. We can’t afford the political tactics that pit us against each other.” 

In the end, Obama paid tribute to the state that gave launched his presidential campaign to the front of the pack. “We started this journey right here,” he said. 

“I will always be grateful to Iowa."