Liveblogging Barack Obama's speech

OK, here we go...

I was skeptical about the stadium setting. I was wrong. This looks fantastic for Obama. And the roar of an entire stadium full of people, and these incredible shots. Wow.

(BTW, here's the text of the speech he just started to give.)

UPDATE: "America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this." That's a good approach to take. Better angels of our nature and all that.

UPDATE.2: I appreciate Obama's standing up for the autoworkers, but the truth is what John McCain told them: their jobs are not coming back. Barack Obama won't say this. John McCain did. Sorry, but there it is. How does Obama propose to save the autoworker jobs, especially given that he's a Clinton-style free-trade Democrat? He needs to be asked this over the next few weeks.

UPDATE.3: "It's time for them to own their failure." Pow!

UPDATE.4: This speech is loping along nicely. But it's not soaring. Or even close to soaring. Yet, anyway.

UPDATE.5 "And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East."

What a load of nonsense. Within 10 years? He knows this is impossible. Why does he say it? Why do people cheer this? Do they really think he can do this? That any politician could? This irritates me to no end. It's just talk.

"I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability."

Isn't education a state and local responsibility? "Higher standards and more accountability"? G.W. Bush said the same thing; we got No Child Left Behind. Does Obama support continuing that? Why or why not? What's his plan for accountability. He should be asked this over the next few weeks.

UPDATE.6: "John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives."

What does this mean? That Obama would invade Pakistan? Either this is empty bluster, or it's reckless. But he said it in August 2007 too.

"The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past."

By now, this is sounding like the dreariest boilerplate. He has offered ideas in this speech, and in his campaign, but what exactly is so new about any of this? Seriously, what's new? I can understand Democrats liking this kind of thing, but come on, it's not new. What's new is the face of the Democratic politician. Seriously, here's John Kerry's 2004 convention acceptance speech. What's essentially different about Obama's speech and this one? Kerry talks a lot more about the war and the military than Obama does, and talks more sensibly about foreign wars and entanglements than Obama has tonight. But it's the same basic speech, on policy. Or so it seems to me.

"And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know."

No, you know what makes people cynical about government? When politicians promise things like ending dependence on foreign oil within 10 years, and don't deliver because they can't deliver. This is all about packaging. Obama's an attractive package. But again, where are the new ideas? Where are the "new politics for a new time"? Call me cynical, but this is bosh.

UPDATE.7: Speech is over. Given what he's capable of, and what he needed to do tonight, I think this speech was a slight disappointment. A B-minus. He said earlier today that it would be "workmanlike," I believe. Well, he was right. Hillary's speech was better, I'm astonished to say.

But what a lovely family, these Obamas. FWIW. And again, the stadium setting is really, really working for him. The speech wasn't worthy of the setting, I'm afraid.

UPDATE.8: On Fox, Juan Williams is bringing it to Obama pretty hard, saying that his speech wasn't memorable, not especially substantive, and that Obama didn't play to the real emotion in the crowds. The moment is memorable, Williams said, but not because of anything Obama said. Bill Kristol, in contrast, is saying Obama did a great job.