[img_assist|nid=1552|title=Former Gov. Howard Dean at the Democratic National Convention|desc=Getty Images Photo|link=none|align=none|width=420|height=280]DENVER - During his speech to the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field on Thursday night, Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean came out swinging against U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), from the very first line of his speech.

"I'm Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. I know exactly how many houses I own," Dean said.

Dean spent the majority of his speech detailing the similarities between McCain and President Bush on several issues. He said that like Bush, McCain would fail to address the rising cost of health care, continue pursuing the Iraq war, and continue to grant tax breaks to American companies who ship jobs overseas.

"John McCain is not a maverick. John McCain is a 'yes man,'" Dean said.

"We can't have four more years of the same. No matter how many times John McCain tries to hide from it, it's a fact: John McCain has voted with George Bush and his policies 95 percent of the time over the past year," he continued.

But it wasn't all Bush bashing for Dean - he also painted
U.S. Sen Barack Obama (D-Ill) as a candidate who would unite Americans across all generations who are hungry for change, encouraging a grassroots effort to help land the Democrats in the Oval Office.

"With your help - block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, vote by vote - we'll elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States," Dean told the delegates.