Obama and McCain hurtle into final 48 hours

Warring White House rivals Barack Obama and John McCain hurled themselves into a Herculean last 48 hours of campaigning before their date with destiny in Tuesday’s election.

Obama Sunday was on a three-city tour of Ohio — a crucial state for both the front-running Democrat and his Republican opponent, after deciding the 2004 election in favor of President George W. Bush.

McCain , following his own two-day bus odyssey around the rust-belt state, was stepping up the pace with his first midnight rally of the campaign, in Florida, following events in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.

Entering the electrifying campaign’s final weekend, Obama Saturday promised a “new politics for a new time” and said he had a “righteous wind” at his back as he pursues his quest to become the first black US president.

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Basking in a hefty poll lead and the adoration of massive crowds, the 47-year-old Illinois senator is hammering McCain over the US economic crisis and portraying his rival as a faithful sidekick of the deeply unpopular Bush.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

In its daily tracking survey Saturday, Gallup had the Democrat gaining momentum and leading 52 percent to 42 percent. A Washington Post-ABC News tracking poll meanwhile put the figure at 53 percent for Obama and 44 percent for McCain.

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