Obama's 5 Best Lines

Amid shouts of "Yes we can" and even a few of "Four more years," President Obama addressed the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, delivering a message of optimism as he looked back at the last eight years and endorsed Hillary Clinton—and the American people—to carry on his legacy. "I stand before you again tonight, after almost two terms as your president, to tell you I am even more optimistic about the future of America," he said. Five of his best lines:

1. "What we heard in Cleveland last week wasn’t particularly Republican—and it sure wasn't conservative," Obama said of the GOP convention. "What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world," he continued, saying that isn't the America that he knows.

2. "Time and again, you’ve picked me up. I hope, sometimes, I picked you up, too. Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me," Obama told the delegates. "Because you're who I was talking about 12 years ago, when I talked about hope—it’s been you who’ve fueled my dogged faith in our future, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long," he said.
3. "America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on Donald Trump," Obama said during a takedown of Trump, whom he described as "not really a plans guy. Not really a facts guy, either." He got a big cheer when he invoked the Gipper, saying: "Ronald Reagan called America 'a shining city on a hill.' Donald Trump calls it 'a divided crime scene' that only he can fix."
4. "Nothing truly prepares you for the demands of the Oval Office," Obama said, but Clinton has been in the room for the big decisions and "in the middle of crisis, she listens to people, and keeps her cool, and treats everybody with respect." "That's the Hillary I know. That's the Hillary I’ve come to admire. And that's why I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America," he said.
5. "We battled for a year and a half. Let me tell you, it was tough, because Hillary’s tough," he said, recounting their battle for the nomination in 2008. "She was doing everything I was doing, but just like Ginger Rogers, backwards and in heels."

"This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me—to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us; to elect Hillary Clinton as the next president of the United States, and show the world we still believe in the promise of this great nation," Obama said in conclusion, giving thanks for his "incredible journey" before he was joined on stage by Clinton herself. The crowd went wild as Obama gave her a hug to the tune of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," Politico reports. The full text of his speech is here. (More Democratic National Convention stories.)