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Thousands of fans of talk show host Oprah Winfrey or Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama -- it was hard to tell which -- filled an Iowa convention centre on Saturday (December 8) for the most-hyped event so far of the 2008 White House campaign. Volunteers, Obama-backers and undecided voters in a crowd of around 18,500 cheered and craned their necks to see daytime TV star Winfrey take the stage with Illinois Sen. Obama, a man Winfrey said would bring strength, conviction, honour and compassion to the White House. "We need somebody who is committed to the well-being of all Americans. We need Barak Obama," Winfrey said, to applause. Mounting the stage in a dark suit and open-collared white shirt, Obama thanked the star for her support and encouraged the people of Iowa to vote for change. "We have the chance -- it comes around maybe once a generation -- for us to come together and finally tackle problems that George Bush may have made far worse but were festering long before George Bush ever took office," Obama said. Families, college students and groups of women filed into the cavernous room to see the candidate and the daytime TV star who are both from Chicago and both black. Polls show Obama narrowly ahead of Clinton in Iowa but the New York senator leads nationally with strong appeal among women and blacks. Obama campaign spokesman Josh Earnest said some 23,000 free tickets had been distributed. Attendees had to provide their name, address and phone number...