Congressional Hispanic Caucus Rally Dems In Denver

Denver, CO (AHN) - Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have just spoken at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

"Under Bush, one out of every three Latinos lack health insurance. Senator Barack Obama is the change we need... let's get our country back on track," Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) told a cheering crowd at the Pepsi Center.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), chairman of the House Intelligence panel and former head of the Hispanic caucus, added that Obama "will restore American power and prestige to the world. He'll take the fight to the terrorists, he'll bring home our troops from Iraq responsibly."

The speeches from the members of the caucus were made after an address by Denver mayor John Hickenlooper. The convention is the most diverse in party history, with 44.3 percent of delegates representing minorities. Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean convened the convention to order Monday afternoon in accordance with his role as the temporary chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Michelle Obama will be one of several family members, including Obama's sister Maya Soetero-Ng, who will be addressing Democrats along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and a number of Illinois state officials Monday night. They plan to highlight Obama's life story - a tricky task considering Obama is the son of a Kenyan man and a Kansas woman who was brought up in Hawaii and Indonesia and is looking to become the first African-American president.

A video tribute for Sen. Ted Kennedy is scheduled to be shown, but Democrats may have another headliner with a speech by a Kennedy. The ailing senator has reportedly prepared a speech and will attend the opening night once his doctors give their approval.