For immediate release

The Democratic National Committee says Obama has agreed to give his acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High stadium in Denver, sharing the stage with 1970s Rock legends Ted Nugent and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Selection of the 76,000-seat facility that is home to the NFL's Denver Broncos appears to be aimed at least partly at filling a gap in fundraising.

The Democratic party convention is being held Aug. 25-28 at Denver's Pepsi Center, which holds up to 21,000 people. DNC Chairman Howard Dean has indicated that the convention itself will be a perfunctory affair, lasting anywhere from 45 minutes to hour, allowing delegates to concentrate on the main event, which will be the Obama/Nugent/BTO show at Mile High Stadium. The proceeds from the show are expected to help with the DNC's financial woes. Lagging fundraising and cost overruns have left the host committee some $12 million short of the $40.6 million it has pledged to raise for the convention.


ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent George Stephanopoulos opined that this was a shrewd political decision on Obama's part, because the choice of Nugent will help his campaign to "triangulate" and attract more conservative voters, particularly from the NRA and other 2nd Amendment organizations who identify strongly with Nugent's stand in support of gun ownership. Similarly, BTO promotes a disciplined Mormon lifestyle, and Barack feels that their signature hit, "Takin' Care of Business," will reassure Republican voters that Barack will not pursue an anti-Business agenda.