Sen. Leahy tells convention about rural needs

When U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, he used his brief time to accuse the Bush administration of ignoring issues facing rural Americans and claim that John McCain would to do the same. "We are struggling from eight years of the Bush-Cheney economy," said Leahy, adding "Rural communities face disproportionately high unemployment rates, violent crime is up, and no one is hurt by record high energy prices more than we are."

Leahy, who lives in a small Vermont town with a population of 1,8oo, spoke of the ways that Barack Obama would help struggling rural Americans. "He will lift our economy immediately by taking some of big oil's windfall profits and returning $1,000 to the pockets of working families. He will invest in what rural America needs most of all, good new jobs, with a clean energy initiative that will move us away from oil and put 5 million Americans to work." To read Leahy's remarks as prepared for delivery, click here.