Sen. Barack Obama has seen his share of large crowds over the last 15 months, but his campaign said they have not approached the numbers gathered along the waterfront here right now.
The campaign, citing figures from Duane Bray, battalion chief of Portland Fire & Rescue, estimated that 75,000 people are watching him speak.
The scene suggests this is not an exaggeration. The sea of heads stretches for half a mile along the grassy embankment, while others watch from kayaks and power boats bobbing on the Willamette River. More hug the rails of the steel bridge that stretches across the water and crowds are even watching from jetties on the opposite shore.
For those that were worried that the ability of Obama to inspire large numbers of Americans had vanished in the tough fight of the primary - this is his largest crowd to date.
John McCain couldn't get 75,000 to show up if he was giving away free cars.
This isn't just winning an election, this is a sea change in the governing of this country. This is getting elected with the political power to effect significant change.
We have a long road to November and we need to fight with every fiber of our being to win. But this is an amazing indicator. I think McCain will be lucky to win 10 states. I think Obama will win Texas and Virginia and Mississippi. And if he wins those, Colorado is clearly in his column.
Meanwhile another McCain campaign biggie is resigning due to his lobbying. Rep. Thomas Loeffler, one of McCain's key fundraisers and national finance co-chair, resigned in the wake of a new McCain policy on conflicts of interest that required campaign volunteers to disclose their lobbying connections
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