The Honorable Mark Udall
Democratic National Convention
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thirty-two years ago, my dad, Mo Udall, a fourth-generation Westerner, spoke to the Democratic National Convention and said, "Every generation has had to change this country to make it work, and we Democrats have always led that change." Those words are just as true today.

My dad would be so proud to see a new generation gathered here in Colorado-the heart of the West-ready to lead that change. Ready to make this country work again. And ready for Barack Obama and Joe Biden!

It's fitting to have the eyes of the nation on Colorado. It's fitting that the change we need in Washington starts here in the Rocky Mountain West. It was hope that first carried early Americans here, not knowing what lay ahead but knowing they must go forward, just as we must go forward. And like those early Americans, we believe this is a land of fresh starts and boundless optimism. We look to our mountains and prairies, our wide-open skies, and we see the limitless possibility that is America. We look to the grit and determination of those who came before us, we know, by their example, that there's no problem we can't solve if we stick together.

That's why Wallace Stegner, the great Western writer, called us "the stickers." They taught us that going forward means going together. With so many challenges ahead of us, it will take every bit of our Western strength, common sense, independence and pragmatism to get our country back on track and moving forward.

But we can do it. Not just for those who are fortunate enough to live in Colorado-but for every American. Because this election is not about Barack Obama, Joe Biden or me. It's about you. It's about your family, your dreams, your future. Just like those who came before us, the challenges, problems and obstacles can be daunting. The horizon can look ominous. The future can feel dangerous. But the lesson of this land is true for everyone.

No matter the odds, no matter the problems-we have to stick together as one nation again, putting our partisan differences behind us and putting the best interests of America first. In the spirit of the West, we can move forward, but it's going to take leaders who are strong enough to stand up for what's right, bold enough to bring new ideas and sweep away the worst of Washington's old ways.

Leaders like Barack Obama, who's spent his whole life standing up for working men and women.

Leaders like Joe Biden, who worked with my dad, who's never forgotten where he comes from, who's never stopped working to keep us safe. As my dad said, "Every generation has had to change this country to make it work."

This is our time. This is our moment to change the course of history.

Here at the foot of the great Rocky Mountains, our greatest mountains, we need leaders to match these mountains. And we have them. In the same bold, pragmatic spirit that defines the West, we will move forward. Together, with Barack Obama, we will bring the change we need, we will renew the promise of our great nation, and we will make America work again.