Obama widens lead over McCain in national polls

WASHINGTON: - US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is moving further ahead against his Republican rival Jon McCain in all national polls Monday in the wake of economic downturn and financial crisis.

The latest CNN survey found Obama, the first African-American to be nominated by a major political party, now leads McCain 53 to 45 percent, doubling the 4-point lead Obama held in the last CNN poll in mid-September.

The Gallup daily tracking poll also show Obama leads by 8 percent, with 50 percent of the respondents supporting him and 42 percent supporting McCain.

In all other national polls, Obama's leading margins range from 6 to 8 percent.

Pollesters said the Obama's gains could be attributed to the financial turmoil, record-low approval ratings for Republican President George W. Bush and a drop in the public's perception of Republican presidential candidate McCain's running mate Sara Palin.

Meanwhile, with less than a month to go, the U.S. presidential race is growingly negative as both candidates questioned the other's character Monday.

After Obama was pummeled over the weekend for his alleged ties to a former radical organization founder Bill Ayers, a top Obama aide accused McCain of waging a "dishonest, despicable smear campaign."   

At the same time, Obama went negative too, launching a documentary reminding voters that in the 1980s McCain was one of the "Keating 5," a group of lawmakers who were investigated for trying to fend off charges against a campaign contributor who was a major player in the savings and loan scandal.

McCain was later exonerated of wrongdoing, but criticized for "poor judgment."

The two candidates, who will be face to face at their second debate tonight, traded long distance personal shots Monday as the rhetoric heated up.

"My opponent has invited serious questioning by announcing a few weeks ago that he would 'take off the gloves,'" McCain told a rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"Since then, whenever I have questioned his policies or his record, he has called me a liar," he added.

Earlier in the day, Obama got in his own personal dig about McCain.

"If McCain wants to have a character debate then I am happy to have that debate," Obama said on a radio show.

Obama was unapologetic about the raising of the Keating 5 issue and suggested it was in retaliation for the McCain camp raising the Ayers allegations.

"One of the things we've done during this campaign: We don't throw the first punch, but we'll throw the last," Obama said.