Barack Obama's road to the White House has not gotten any shorter despite his rock-star reception overseas, with polls in key states showing a tightening race against rival John McCain.


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As the Illinois Democratic senator gave a crowd-rousing performance before 200,000 people in Berlin, polls released in the United States showed waning enthusiasm for the man seeking to become the country's first African-American president.

Obama maintains a lead over his 71-year-old Republican rival -- between one and six points according to pollsters -- but his edge is beginning to recede, despite what McCain's camp has described as the media's "love affair" with Obama.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll published Wednesday showed 55 percent of US voters considered Obama the riskiest choice for US president, while just 35 percent said the same of McCain.

"Well, I do understand it," Obama said in an interview with NBC news. "I'm new to the scene. John McCain's been around 25, 30 years in public life. I have just recently emerged in terms of our national politics. And so it's not surprising that people would say that," Obama said.


McCain values


The same poll found that 58 percent of voters identified more closely with McCain's values and background, while 47 percent said the same of Obama.

A separate study published Thursday by Quinnipiac University showed McCain has gained ground in several key battleground states, and has surpassed Obama in Colorado.

The survey showed McCain is close on Obama's heels in Michigan and Minnesota, and other polls have shown McCain ahead in some key states usually considered Democratic bastions, such as New Hampshire.

Given those odds, Obama's camp considers it crucial that he win other key states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada and New Mexico.

McCain's main supporters are white males and people over 65, groups that are likely to turn out strongly for the November 4 presidential election.


Down-home approach


Some experts say McCain's down-home approach, which he worked on this week while visiting working-class voters and grocery stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio, seems to be bearing fruit, especially among American voters whose main concern is the economy and not the war in Iraq.

"With voters saying that the energy issue is now more important to their presidential vote than is the war in Iraq, this group represents an opportunity for the Republicans," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The Arizona senator has said he supports offshore drilling for oil, like President George W. Bush, in order to meet US energy needs. Obama opposes this in favor of developing renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

A Fox News poll Thursday showed that 71 percent of respondents are in favour of offshore drilling.


Obama 'out of touch'


"The fact that Obama is out of touch with voters... is certainly something we'll continue to reiterate," said Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

"To the extent that he's acting as if he's already president when the election is over 100 days away and everyone expects it will be a very close race raises questions about how in touch he is."

Obama, who returns to the United States on Saturday evening from his long overseas trip, sought to connect his popular position on the Iraq war with voters' economic fears.

"If we have more NATO troops in Afghanistan, then that's potentially fewer American troops over the long term," he said on CNN.

"Which means that we're spending fewer billions of dollars, which means we can invest those billions of dollars in making sure that we're providing tax cuts to middle-class families who are struggling with higher gas prices," he said.
Source: AFP/SBS