Obama first captured national attention with his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic convention. He told his remarkable life story and called the nation to unity, defusing critics with lines such as: "I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America – there's the United States of America." This convention offers him yet another chance to dazzle a national audience with a positive message.
Hope and change worked in 2008 because most voters said they wanted something new. But now the president is asking for four more years, so he needs to chart a clear, positive plan for what he will accomplish ahead.
