CHAPEL HILL - Sen. Barack Obama rallied thousands of supporters at UNC-Chapel Hill late Monday, saying he is the best candidate to bring Americans through the crisis of rising gas and food prices.

Speaking after 10:30 p.m. to a crowd that skewed young and screamed loudly enough to be heard up the street, Obama ended a day of campaigning in the Dean Smith Center. There, he said that he would bring troops home from Iraq, that he would unify the country, that he would fight special interests and, as much as anything, that he believes in hope and the American dream.

"This campaign is about you," he said. "And when we remember that, that's when government works."

Obama's image was broadcast over four giant screens above the crowd, which the campaign said numbered about 18,000.

"It is time for us to write a new chapter in American history," Obama said. "That's why you're here tonight."

He returned to North Carolina on Monday for two days of campaigning, trying to solidify a double-digit lead a week after Pennsylvania voters kept Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race with a solid win there.

Voters in North Carolina and Indiana go to the primary polls May 6.

In his speech, Obama took on likely Republican nominee Sen. John McCain more than his Democratic opponent, Clinton.

"We can't afford four more years of George Bush economic policies under the guise of John McCain," Obama said.

He said he would invest in early education, boost the military GI bill and put more money toward basic research to build up places such as the Research Triangle Park.

In the liberal heart of the state, he also blamed the media for stoking controversy that has raised doubts about his abilities.

"They say, we don't know enough about him," Obama said. "He doesn't always wear a flag pin. His pastor once said something. He's got a funny name. Sounds Muslim.

"You want to know my values?" he asked. "Well, let me tell you about my family."

He talked of his Kansas upbringing and of how his wife, Michelle, grew up on the south side of Chicago. "We're always willing to make America better," he said. "That's why I love this country. That's why you love this country."

Cheering from her seat near the floor, registered nurse Rhonda Battle of Durham said Obama's speech was "awesome."

"It was wonderful," Battle said. "He stuck to the points, to the reason for the campaign. He stuck to the issues."

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.