Bailey Bearss, a transfer student at American University, said all her classes were missing half their students yesterday when Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) appeared at the university's Bender Arena to give a public endorsement to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
"I'll support the candidate who inspires me, who inspires all of us, who can lift our vision and renew our beliefs that [the] country's best days are still to come," Kennedy said. "I've found that candidate, and I think you have too," he said of Obama.
Kennedy applauded the efforts of Democratic candidates John Edwards, with economic and social justice, and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) with health care and women's rights.
"They are my friends," he said. "They've been my colleagues in the Senate. Whoever is our nominee will have my enthusiastic support and will have yours, too."
Kennedy said Obama is a man who "doesn't demonize those with different views," and described him as a tough-minded fighter.
"He is a leader who sees the world clearly without being cynical," he said.
Because Obama is young, described as visionary and often scrutinized by people as under-qualified for the position of president, Kennedy likens him to his late brother, John F. Kennedy Sr.
"I smell change in the air," he said. "It's time for a new generation of leadership. It is time now for Barack Obama."
Kennedy asked the audience, which was roaring with applause, to have the courage to choose change.
He said that if Obama is sworn in as president, faith and hope will be restored to the nation.
As Obama approached the podium and embraced Kennedy, the crowd in the arena shouted words of support to Obama, signs held high.
Referring to Kennedy, Obama said, "To have this man stand beside me is more than just politics to me; it's personal."
Obama continued, "I was too young to remember John Kennedy, and I was just a child when Robert Kennedy ran for president."
However, Obama said he remembered his mother and grandparents talking about the great hope and achievement the two brought to their time.
"They inspired my family as they inspired families all over the country," he said.
Obama related his own sense of what is possible to the Kennedys' influence. "One thing I can say for certain is that the dream has never died," he said. "The dream has never died. It lives on."
Obama said older people he meets remember "what America is, was and what America can be once again."
He said younger people, such as the majority of the students in the arena, who have only seen John and Robert Kennedy on TV, "are ready to answer their call."
Obama said, in part, John F. Kennedy, Sr.'s liberal ways and a grant from the Kennedy Foundation made it possible for his father, who was growing up in poverty in Kenya, to come study in the United States.
"Because he did [immigrate], I stand before you today, inspired by America's past, filled with hope for America's future and determined to do my part in writing our next great chapter," he said.
The example of his father, Obama said, "is the essence of America. Each generation reaching back and bringing along those who might have otherwise been left behind."
He encouraged the students attending his campaign rally "to stand to keep the American dream alive" and "to reach for what you know is possible."
According to the presidential candidate, these actions will mean a win for him and his supporters in the primaries, the general election and even change the course of history for the better.
Tuesday, Obama will be travelling to El Dorado, Kan. and Kansas City, Mo. for a community event and a "Stand For Change" town hall meeting, respectively.
