The Honorable Jay Rockefeller
Democratic National Convention
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good evening. I'm Jay Rockefeller. I'm from West Virginia and proud of it. Proud of West Virginia's soaring mountains and our solid values, proud that we fly our nation's flag on every front porch, proud that we never take our families, our neighbors and our faith in God for granted, and very proud that so many West Virginians serve in our military.

I carry the people of West Virginia with me every day in my fight for good jobs, health care, veterans and our national security. And tonight, we're all proud to stand with two patriots with the judgment and courage to face down the threats of the 21st century: The next vice president, Joe Biden and the next President of the United States, Barack Obama.

As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have learned a lot about the nature and identity of our enemies. I have seen the intelligence up close. And I can tell you that the threats we face are real and growing. Make no mistake: Our adversaries are determined, malicious and seek the most destructive weapons possible. We are threatened by loose nuclear weapons, terrorist sleeper cells, suicide bombers, cyber-attacks and bioterrorism. And our strength is profoundly undermined by our reliance on unstable regimes for foreign oil.

The grim reality is that eight years of ineffective leadership in the White House has compromised our national security and made America more vulnerable. I have seen the failures of Bush/Cheney up close. We cannot afford even one more day of ideological decision-making, politicizing intelligence, bungling diplomacy and obsolete thinking. And we cannot afford to keep sending our troops to fight tour after tour of duty in Iraq while we are distracted from the fight against al-Qaida.

Our military is amazing and unmatched. Our courageous men and women in uniform will always prevail on the battlefield. But they deserve a commander- in-chief who will give them a clear mission. We need a smart, tough, 21st century approach to national security.

Our next president will inherit a long list of challenges: war in Iraq and Afghanistan, global confrontation with al-Qaida, the re-emergence of a belligerent Russia and the wholly unacceptable nuclear ambitions of Iran. And I ask you, shouldn't we have captured Osama bin Laden by now?

The American people deserve a leader who can forge strategic alliances where America leads, and others follow. Barack Obama is that leader. We need a leader who will re-establish America as an energy superpower by pursuing every resource at our disposal: alternative fuels, drilling and our most abundant domestic resource, tomorrow's clean coal.

And it is time for Americans to have a leader who will tell them the truth about the challenges we face and trust them to rise together to clear any hurdle, fight any enemy and win any battle. Barack Obama is that leader.

We need a leader who sees the world as it is and will be, not as it was several decades ago. We need a leader who will finally end the war in Iraq responsibly, so we can focus on the threats of the 21st century. Barack Obama is that leader.

In the Senate, I have worked closely with Barack Obama. And I can tell you that this man, at this moment, is exactly the strong steady hand that America needs. He understands the use of force to defeat terror. He understands the role of a strong military with up-to-date weapons and intelligence. And he will command our armed forces the right way, and win.

And Barack Obama also understands that our nation is strongest abroad when we are strongest here at home. He understands that when our democracy thrives, our economy booms and our homeland is secure. America is unstoppable.

John McCain has served this country with honor. But his refusal to change course even in the face of the failed policies of Bush-Cheney is reckless and will not keep us safe. John McCain views the world through Cold War glasses. He does not see the complexity of counterterrorism in a new century.

Barack Obama's vision is clear. Barack Obama understands that no challenge is without a solution because we are America. We are the toughest, hardest- working people in the world. We are a nation of problem solvers and with Barack Obama as our president, we will prevail.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.