US presidential frontrunner Barack Obama is on stage in a basketball arena in Fayetteville, North Carolina - another southern Republican stronghold he is trying to topple.
Speaking to an adoring audience, Senator Obama appears to sense victory within his grasp. His manner is by turns passionate, reassuring and nuanced; his convictions apparently fuelled by news that Republican warrior-statesman Colin Powell has endorsed his cause to be America's first black president.
The mostly African-American crowd is in something of a frenzy, chanting, singing and dancing. They, too, can see a triumph that many of them thought would never happen. On the fringes, a rumpled man with sad eyes glances up at the audience, as if he is gauging the temperature. He nods to himself, tugs at his moustache and walks on. In jeans, scuffed brown shoes and leather jacket, he could be any other punter. Despite his unremarkable appearance, David Axelrod, 54, is probably the most powerful man in US politics right now, other than his client.
A political strategist from Senator Obama's native Chicago, the consultant has masterminded a rise for his client that is as stunning as it is historic, leading one of the most inexperienced candidates to grace the national stage to the cusp of a great victory.
Helping Senator Obama from the Illinois state legislature to the US Senate in Washington four years ago, and possibly beyond, has been the work of his political life.
He's been constantly at Senator Obama's side and on his phone during that time. He has helped frame his candidate's message of inclusion and appeal to America's higher motives.