Mike di Donata/KTVB

BOISE - Thousands of people swarmed Taco Bell Arena to hear Barack Obama speak to Idahoans – as part of his bid to become the Democratic nominee for this fall’s presidential election.

The doors opened at 7 a.m., and organizers had planned for about 8,800 people.  They were reconfiguring the arena and opening up additional space to let even more people in. The crowd was estimated at more than 14,000 by The Associated Press.

“When we told people six months ago that the caucus was going to be a big deal, no one believed us. When we said we’d see triple the turnout of four years ago, no one believed us,” John Foster with the Idaho Democratic Party said. “People believe us now!”

“I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of political candidates come and go,” former Governor Cecil D. Andrus said in introducing Obama. “I have not seen since John F. Kennedy in 1960, a candidate that has the capacity to unite and inspire the people of America like Barack Obama.”

Andrus said Obama could bring about change – in Washington, in the economy – and the war in Iraq.

“It takes too many. It costs us too many lives. It’s a war that costs us too much. And for what reason? It’s a war that no one can justify.  This is a man that can bring an end to that in my opinion,” Andrus said.

Obama took the stage just after 9:10 a.m.

"Thank you Boise! Thank you Idaho! What an unbelievable crowd," Obama said to wild cheers from the audience.

The candidate thanked his supporters in Idaho - and even the folks that were not able to get inside. Speakers were set up outside so those who could not make it in could hear the speech. About 1,000 people were not able to get inside.

He thanked Gov. Cecil Andrus for the introduction, and Boise State President Dr. Bob Kustra - who Obama knew during Kustra's time in Illinois.

Early in the speech, Obama said people were skeptical of him, just like folks were skeptical of Boise State.

“Sometimes it’s fun to be an underdog,” he said.

He hit many of the recurring themes of his campaign - including the faltering economy, the environment and the war in Iraq.

The crowd behind Obama was filled with a wide variety of Idahoans - male and female, young and old.

“Change in America does not happen from the top down, it happens from the bottom up. I was certain that we are not as divided as our politics suggest,” Obama said. “I believe that the American people are a decent people, and a hard-working people.”

He repeatedly came back to the war in Iraq - and his plan to get American troops out of the country.

"All across the country, I meet veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are proud of their service, and properly so. But those veterans are thinking about those they left behind, and they question a mission that costs us more blood and treasure," Obama said.

He even referenced a recent story showing that he is a distant relative of current vice president Dick Cheney.

"The name of my cousin Dick Cheney will not be on the ballot. That was really embarrassing when the news came out! When they do these surveys, you hope you're related to someone cool - Dick Cheney... that was really a let down," Obama said to laughs.

The candidate says he will work to overhaul the health care system in America.

“If you’ve got health care on the job, we’ll work with your employer to lower your premiums by $2,500 every year. We will emphasize prevention so that we don’t have children going to the emergency rooms for preventable illnesses like asthma.”

Obama promised to have his health care plan in place by the end of his first term in office. He also said he will institute a plan to raise the minimum wage to keep pace - not "just every ten years."

"We can help rural communities build new schools. I won't just talk about how great teachers are, I will reward them by paying them higher salaries," he said.

Obama said he would change the current system of accountability to eliminate "high stakes tests." He wants the educational system to focus on the humanities as well as core subjects.

Obama touted his plan to give a $4,000 per student tuition credit to students, in exchange for community service and volunteerism time.

He would also work to put in place tougher emission standards, in an effort to cut down on petroleum use.

He came back to the subject of Iraq several times throughout the speech, deriding the loss of lives, and the amount spent on the war. He called Iraq a distraction from the war in Afghanistan.

“We never finished that fight – and I intend to finish it when I am President of the United States,” he said. “I opposed the war in Iraq from the start. This is why I’ll put an end to the war and bring our troops home in 2009. I don’t just want to end the war, I want to end the mindset that brought us to war.”

"There was a time when people said 'well, maybe he's too nice.' Well, I said to them 'if you know who you are, and what you believe in - you can afford to reach out across the aisle.'"

Nearly 30 minutes into his speech - Obama mistook Idaho for Iowa -- but quickly corrected himself to chuckles and a few gasps.

Forty-four minutes after he started, Obama wrapped up at 9:54 a.m. with this:

"This is our moment. This is our time. If you are willing to stand with me, if you are willing to caucus for me - if you believe this is not the end of the American Dream, but the beginning - if you believe we have to keep the dream alive, if you are not willing to settle - then I promise you we will not just win Idaho, we will not just win the nomination, we will win the general election and change this world!"

He then shook hands with hundreds of people in the crowd to the sounds of "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" by Stevie Wonder.

The Gem State has 23 delegates to the Democratic National Convention later this summer - and will vote in a caucus process Tuesday at sites around the state.

Idaho is just one of the stops Obama will make Saturday - including Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri. He has pledged to hit nearly two thirds of the states in this week's Super Tuesday series of elections.

Friday, many volunteers - college age students - took their time to show their creativity in support of the campaign.

Even though Idaho doesn't have as many delegates as other states our political analyst Dr. Jim Weatherby says Obama in Idaho is still important.

"We don't have a lot of votes as compared to California or New York, but every delegate counts, and in that case Idaho is in play and there's a lot of excitement among Idaho Democrats, and there will be a lot of participation," Weatherby said.

Mike di Donato/KTVB