That April , Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill began listing possible candidates to be the 2004 Democratic National Convention 's keynote speaker — including Jennifer Granholm , Janet Napolitano , Tom Vilsack , Mark Warner , and Bill Richardson — searching for speakers who would generate a significant buzz in the media . Others involved in the process included convention manager Jack Corrigan and Kerry media advisor Robert Shrum . Corrigan 's friend , Lisa Hay , knew Obama from their time together working on the Harvard Law Review and strongly recommended him . Cahill had previously seen Obama in a photo in '' TIME '' and began asking for opinions from people who knew and had worked with him . Although there were some internal worries about his style of speaking , lack of experience with a teleprompter , opposition to the Iraq War that Kerry initially supported , and the fact that he was only a state senator , they eventually chose Obama over the other finalist , Jennifer Granholm , in part because polls showed Kerry with less support among African-Americans than Democrats normally enjoyed and because he was running for an important Senate seat . During the process , the Obama senate campaign provided the Kerry camp with an eight-minute audition video , and several Obama advisors lobbied on his behalf with members of the Kerry staff
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address