Obama wipes away tears while speaking to staff

WASHINGTON Shortly after his re-election victory, President Barack Obama's campaign released a video that shows a rare moment of emotion from the commander-in-chief.

President Obama pauses in the middle of thanking members of his campaign staff and volunteers at his campaign headquarters in Chicago to wipe away tears. As he rubs the corner of his eyes, the room starts clapping.

Video of the five-minute speech was e-mailed out to supporters and posted on the president's campaign website. The surprise visit to the headquarters came just a day after he won re-election.

The president talked about his days as a community organizer in Chicago and how he knew he wanted to help people, but wasn't quite sure how yet. He praised his volunteers for being "the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics."

"What you guys have done means what I have done means what I'm doing is important," he said, "and I'm really proud of you. I'm really proud of you."