Obama delivers hard-hitting speech on American Dream

Denver: US presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Thursday delivered a hard-hitting address vowing to renew his vision of the American Dream.

"Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility. That's the essence of America's promise," Obama told supporters who have gathered in Denver's Invesco football stadium.

Susan French, a Democrat who watched the speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, said she was impressed by how forceful Obama was, though she thought the speech could still leave him open to attack.

"He did a great job addressing the areas where he has been attacked: patriotism, his qualifications for the job and how he plans to pay for all his ideas," she said.

To many Republicans, the speech merely amplified many of their concerns about the candidate who, at 47, would be one of America's youngest presidents if elected on November 4.

"He described a chance to keep the American promise and he made a lot of promises. He is the pied piper of promises," said Mike Vanderboegh, of Pinson, Alabama.

"He is scarier than (former President Bill) Clinton because he is arrogant and a true believer,'' Vanderboegh said.