Obama To Tell Nation: 'Enough Is Enough'

OBAMA TO TELL NATION: 'ENOUGH IS ENOUGH'.... I received an advance copy of excerpts -- not the whole text -- from tonight's speech from Barack Obama, and not surprisingly, it looks very strong.

Most notably, after characterizing this election as "one of those defining moments," Obama ties McCain to his party and the failures of Republican governance, and insists, "America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this."

"This moment -- this election -- is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough.'"Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.

"But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change."

Obama also appears slated to connect his vision to the icons of the Democratic Party. First, of previous generations: "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country."

Second, of more recent years: "We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put away a little extra money at the end of each month so that you can someday watch your child receive her diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President -- when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush."

I've posted the excerpts below the jump, but bear in mind, the speech may change, and there's content that isn't included here.