Dear Zenophon,

Barack Obama’s performance stood above the competition in last night’s debate as he continued to show the qualities that will make him a strong Commander in Chief.

He displayed the judgment that led him to oppose the war in Iraq before it began and reminded the other candidates that the time to ask how we were going to get out of Iraq was before we went in.

Watch the video and share it with your friends:

http://my.BarackObama.com/DebateSC

Televised debates are notorious for rehearsed sound bites and canned answers. Barack demonstrated his leadership by speaking with passion and personal conviction about education, Social Security, and changing the way Washington works.

This morning’s news coverage declared Barack the clear winner of the debate. Here’s a sample of what they had to say:

Time and time again Obama sought to take specific questions and broaden them into a conversation over who represented real change in the field. He castigated lobbyists and special interests in Washington, offering a sweeping condemnation of business as usual (by both parties) in the nation's capital. "We don't need just a change in political parties," said Obama. "We need a change in attitudes of the people representing Americans."

-- Chris Cillizza, Washington Post
We're here with 24 Democrats, independents, who thought that Senator Hillary Clinton would be the best performer here tonight, but the results that we just got in, this is a focus group; show that Barack Obama got the most favorable in terms of the best performance from the 24 people who are here tonight.

-- Mary Snow, CNN

Watch Barack’s performance and help build our movement for change:

http://my.BarackObama.com/DebateSC

We also heard from hundreds of supporters who shared their reactions via Obama mobile:

I loved Obama's comment that we're not going to fix anything until 'we change how business is done in Washington.' As usual, he was spot-on. I have faith that Barack is THE candidate to facilitate these changes. He has shown commitment time and again that he will work across lines of party, race, & religion to make progress in America. United, we can make a difference!

-- Lisa in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Once again Barack applied a common sense approach in his response tonight. I was also pleased he continued to reinforce his message of unity. O8AMA!!

-- Russ in Cary, Illinois
Barack, you were the best one there and should be the obvious choice for those of us who want true, real, and honest change. Keep it up!

-- Tessa in Rochester, New York
Barack’s victory in last night’s debate was decisive, but he cannot win the Democratic nomination alone. It’s up to all of us to spread the word and build this movement for change.

Thanks for your support,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America