Pelosi, Michelle Obama to kick off Dem Convention
By STEVEN K. PAULSON
Associated Press Writer
DENVER (AP) -- Michelle Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be the featured first-night speakers at the Democratic National Convention, which also will include a videotaped message from Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Michelle Obama will be introduced by her brother, Craig Robinson, a former basketball star at Princeton and now coach at Oregon State, and her sister-in-law, Maya Soetoro-Ng, at the Pepsi Center on Aug. 25.
Other opening night speakers include Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, an early Obama supporter, organizers said Tuesday.
Pelosi will be recognized for helping lead the Democratic Party back to power in Congress, said organizer Jenny Backus. "She was in the vanguard of the movement. She recruited a generation of young leaders," Backus said.
Opening night will also feature a tribute to Kennedy, who has taped a five-minute video to air during the party gathering. Kennedy suffered a seizure at his Hyannisport, Mass., house on May 17 and was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He underwent surgery and recently completed a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiation.
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