Chairman Garcia's speech at Barack Obama event

Joe Garcia, left foreground, watches Sen. Barack Obama and the crowd at Miami-Dade County Auditorium.

Here are the remarks Joe Garcia, chair of the Democratic Executive Committee, made before Sen. Obama's speech Saturday Aug. 25.

Today, we gather to celebrate the beginning of the end of the Bush era in American politics.

So much has gone wrong in this great nation of ours....

Despite hundreds of billions spent, thousands of lives lost and our standing in the world diminished ---- we are not safer.

Our people are struggling harder to get ahead....

and in our capital we've seen more greed, more incompetence, more lying than perhaps any time in our history...

the nation is crying out for a new and better politics, one that tackles the great challenges of this emerging century, and one that brings us together rather than tears us apart.....

We are here, today, in the thousands, with people of every race, who came here from many countries, from many backgrounds to celebrate the dawn of a new politics for America, a new day, a neuvo dia.....

a day of hope -- not fear....
of prosperity -- not struggle
of security-- not adventurism....

and on an issue close to many of us here in Miami, we are also to celebrate the dawn of a new day for the Cuban people....

The end of the Castro era offers hope, and just as the possibility of freedom begins to dawn, all the Bush administration offers is more of the same.

For too long our policy has been one that reacts, it asks us to turn away from the suffering of our family and friends and simply hope for change.

The administration’s policy on Cuba, as on the rest of the challenges our nation faces, is more bluster than Courage....

We thank Senator Obama for his coming to Miami and challenging the politics of status quo at this important time.

By letting the Cuban people lead the way he makes the possibility for a peaceful and just transition more likely...