The smile that says it all: Romney celebrates debate win as top Obama aide admits defeat and promises change of strategy

Mitt Romney revels in aftermath of crushing debate victory

Obama strategist David Axelrod admits presentation is 'not President's strong suit' and promises re-set of debate planning

Democrat comes out fighting in Denver speech to supporters



Barack Obama's top strategist said that the campaign will take a 'hard look' at how to approach future debates in the light of last night's failure - and appealed to the media to challenge Mitt Romney on the issues which the President avoided in Denver.



All but stating that the Republican had won the debate, David Axelrod conceded that the performance aspect was 'not the President's strong suit in these events' but insisted that 'I don't see us adding huge amounts of additional prep time.'

The remarks came after the Obama campaign was left reeling by Mr Romney's knockout performance in the candidates' first head-to-head clash, with polls suggesting that voters regarded the former governor of Massachusetts as the debate winner by a margin of more than two to one.

Scroll down for video

Contrast: Mitt Romney was all smiles on his campaign plane, while Barack Obama looked determined in Denver



Celebration? Romney chuckles with senior adviser Bob White as they wait to take off from Denver airport

Good humour: The Republican candidate clearly needed no cheering up on his campaign plane

Democratic strategists are now fighting to preserve the narrow poll lead which Mr Obama enjoyed in the run-up to the debate, as fired-up Republicans aim to capitalise on the primetime thrashing and entrench the image of Mr Romney as a potential President.



Mr Axelrod, speaking on a campaign conference call, made an appeal to reporters to make the points that Obama himself had failed to make in the debate

'All of you who travel on the road with Governor Romney know that he just few weeks ago stood up and said we didn't need any more teachers,' he said. 'Last night he couldn't be more enthusiastic about teachers and more teachers.'

Mr Romney had delivered 'a very vigorous performance but one that was devoid of honesty', Mr Axelrod said.

'And so today, as the day after, I think the question for you [the media], for the American people is really one of character and whether or not a candidacy that's so fundamentally rooted in hiding the truth and the facts from the American people and deception is the basis of trust on which you assign the presidency to a person.

'So that is what we are going to focus on moving forward. We're going to hold Governor Romney accountable for the things that he said last night and we're going to make him justify those claims - as I hope you will make him justify those claims.

'Because we need an an honest and a genuine and realistic plan to move forward and not a bunch of lines designed to get you through a debate.'

The day after: Obama began his quest to resurrect his campaign in Denver with a speech to supporters after the disappointing debate

The day after: Obama used the term 'economic patriotism' again on Thursday in remarks during a campaign event in Denver

Mr Axelrod said that Mr Romney was 'completely untethered from the truth' and 'knowingly and willfully tried to deceive senior citizens'

Referring to post-debate polls, he added: 'People are willing to give Governor Romney credit for his performance but that didn't necessarily translate into support for him for President. He may win the Oscar for his performance last night but he’s not going to win the presidency for his performance last night.'

He signalled that there would be changes to Mr Obama's approach to the second debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York on October 16th.

'He made a choice last night to answer the questions that were asked and to talk to the American people about what we need to do to move forward and to not get into serial fact checking with Governor Romney, which can be an exhausting never ending pursuit.

'But obviously moving forward we're going to take a hard look at this and we're going to have to make some judgements as to where to draw the line in these debates and how to use our time.

'In terms of changes... it's like a play-offs in sports, you evaluate after every contest and you make adjustments and I'm sure that we will make adjustments. I think there will be some strategic judgements that will have to be made and we'll make them.'



Admission: David Axelrod confessed to Mr Obama's weaknesses and asked the media to push Mr Romney harder

Speaking in Denver the day after the debate, Mr Obama took a more aggressive attitude, speaking loudly and assertively as he defended his record in front of a sympathetic crowd.

'We succeed when the middle class gets bigger,' he said. 'We succeed not from the top down but from the middle out.'



The President also spoke about his energy policy, boasting of the progress his administration has made on renewable energy and adding: 'The United States of America today is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in nearly two decades.'



He also brought out the harsh words for Mr Romney which he had largely avoided the night before, saying: 'Governor Romney may dance around his positions, but if you want to be President, you owe the American people the truth.'



Mr Obama continued: 'Governor Romney may dance around his positions, but if you want to be President, you owe the American people the truth.'



The vocal audience provided a boost which the President was denied during the silent debate, notably when one fan shouted out: 'We believe in you!'



Clash: More than 58 million people tuned in to the Obama-Romney debate, far more than the total who watched Obama-McCain in 2008.

Contest: The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer, who drew criticism for his passive demeanour

In the debate itself, however, it was Mr Romney who was on the offensive, shining in what was arguably the most high-profile moment of his political career so far.