DENVER , Colorado ( CNN ) -- On a historic night for America , Barack Obama secured the Democratic Party 's nomination for president and emerged for the first time on stage in Denver with running mate Sen. Joe Biden . Obama on Wednesday officially became the first African American to lead a major party ticket . Delegates cried and cheered as former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton motioned to cut the roll call vote short , saying `` Let 's declare together with one voice right here , right now , that Barack Obama is our candidate and he will be our president . '' The dramatic move was carefully choreographed to put down any fears of a divided party following the protracted primary battle . Watch emotional crowd nominate Obama » . The Democrats jumped to their feet as they made history with Obama as their leader . Outside the hall , Republican leaders also hailed the achievement . On Thursday , the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. 's `` I have a dream '' speech , in the culmination of the Democratic National Convention , Obama will address an estimated 70,000 people at Invesco field in Denver . Read more about the historic anniversary . `` This is something people like me have been waiting for for days , weeks . Years , '' said Howard Hemsley , an African-American delegate from New York . `` He 's going to the White House . He 's going to be our next president . '' iReport.com : `` Never thought I 'd see this day '' Former President Bill Clinton reflected on the significance of the moment in his address before the Democratic National Convention . Read more on Clinton 's case for Obama . `` Now , Sen. Obama 's life is a 21st-century incarnation of the old-fashioned American dream . His achievements are proof of our continuing progress toward the more perfect union of our founders ' dreams , '' he said . `` Barack Obama will lead us away from the division and fear of the last eight years back to unity and hope . '' Watch the sights and sounds of the convention events » . President Clinton and Biden , two of the party 's elder statesmen , lavished praise upon the newly crowned nominee and did their best to paint Republican rival Sen. John McCain as a candidate who would lead the country down a dangerous path . Clinton cast Obama as the safe pick , and the only one who could bring about change . He sought to put to rest the main criticism of Obama -- that he does not have the experience to lead . Watch Clinton wow the Democrats » . Obama 's perceived weakness compared to McCain on foreign policy and national security issues has been of concern to Democratic strategists , especially since Russia 's conflict with Georgia intensified this month . According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll , 78 percent of registered voters said they believe McCain can handle the responsibilities of commander in chief , compared to 58 percent for Obama . `` Clearly , the job of the next president is to rebuild the American dream and to restore American leadership in the world , '' President Clinton said Wednesday night . iReport.com : Share your reaction to the convention speeches . `` And here 's what I have to say about that . Everything I learned in my eight years as president , and in the work I have done since in America and across the globe , has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job . '' The ex-president had been one of the most vocal critics of Obama during the protracted primary season . Republicans have used the Clintons ' earlier criticism of Obama 's experience in their attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee . Going into the convention , there were still a lot of questions about whether the Clintons were ready to embrace Obama following the bruising primary battle . Clinton seemed to change that narrative as he declared his support for Obama . David Gergen , a CNN senior political analyst who worked in the Clinton administration , said the speech was `` the most effective and the most important speech Bill Clinton has delivered since he left the White House . '' View an analysis of day 3 » . Continuing criticism leveled by Clinton and other speakers this week , Biden took to the stage and delivered an assault on Republican policies . `` As we gather here tonight , our country is less secure and more isolated than at any time in recent history . The Bush-McCain foreign policy has dug us into a very deep hole , with very few friends to help us climb out , '' he said . Biden rattled off a list of McCain 's positions on issues ranging from taxes to alternative energy , repeatedly saying : `` That 's not change -- that 's more of the same . '' Read more about Biden 's attacks . Biden , chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , is widely believed to have been chosen for the Democratic presidential ticket based on his foreign policy credentials . Watch Biden accept the nomination » . The six-term senator pointed to his friendship with McCain , but said `` I profoundly disagree with the direction that John wants to take the country . ''
Barack Obama becomes first African American to lead major party ticket . Delegates cry , especially during historic night . Former President Bill Clinton says Obama is ready to lead . Democratic nominee Joe Barton slams into John McCain , his long - time friend .