Barack Obama denied yesterday that he was ignoring the concerns of ordinary Americans while he tours the world, amid signs that the adulation he is receiving abroad has alienated some US voters.

After the Democratic presidential candidate holds meetings with Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron in London today, the last leg of his nine-day international tour, he returns home to a general election campaign with new polls showing him in a tightening race against John McCain, the Republican candidate.

Mr McCain and his surrogates have spent the week seeking to build the impression that Mr Obama’s trip – and particularly his speech to 200,000 in Berlin on Thursday – shows an arrogance and presumptuousness that is disconnected from voters back home, who are most concerned with the faltering US economy.

“I’d love to give a speech in Germany. But I’d much prefer to do it as president of the United States, rather than as a candidate for the office of presidency,” Mr McCain said in the battleground state of Ohio. An aide to the Arizona senator called Mr Obama’s speech “a premature victory lap.

Mr McCain’s campaign has been beset by missteps and bad luck in the past month, and has been dwarfed in terms of media coverage by Mr Obama’s almost flawless audition on the world stage. Yet new surveys show Mr McCain pulling almost even with Mr Obama – a Gallup poll yesterday had Mr Obama leading 45 to 43 per cent – and the Democrat losing ground in several key battleground states.

He has lost a small lead in Colorado, and his ten-point advantage over Mr McCain has dropped to just two in Minnesota.

Although Mr Obama is still favoured to win, other surveys show that many more voters identify with Mr McCain’s “values and background”, and feel they still don’t know Mr Obama. While Mr Obama met Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday, Mr McCain was holding a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

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“For the past two days on talk radio here, pretty much every caller wanted to know why Barack Obama was in Europe and the Middle East rather than talking to people back home about the issues here,” said Andrew Seder, a reporter for the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who covered the McCain event. Mr Obama defended the trip, saying that persuading foreign leaders to send more troops to Afghanistan could save the US billions of dollars.

At a Paris press conference with Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, Mr Obama said: “Let me remind everyone. I’m not the president. I’m a US senator.” Tad Devine, a Democratic strategist, said that he believed the trip had been a success, because voters “saw someone acting presidential, and that is one of the biggest thresholds he has to cross.”

HAVE YOUR SAY

Well studying Barack Obama i wonder what that "change" is going to be than he replacing Bush...

ebrahim khodadoost, ardebil, iran

John Thomas from Melbourne, Australia: the myth of America being xenophobic is hard to swallow considering we're a nation of immigrants. What we don't like is replicating the socialist monster that our immigrant ancestors escaped from.

Peter Zapanacec, Chicago, IL,

Come one! McCaine was just in Colombia and elsewhere, timed perfectly for the FARC hostage release. This is just more propaganda. Be aware and resist.

Sydney Solis, Boulder, Colorado, USA

If Europe gets in trouble again...Under McCain , we will be there for you ....as we have always been in the past.

Under Obama, your on your own.

Simple...

Ellen, Columbus, AMERICA

Australians calling Americans racists? If that were so, then how did Obama get this far? Interesting... How many "LA-size" race riots do the Aussies have each year? Aoubt five or six? Almost as bad as Britain and France.

David Churney, chicago, USA

Anyone shrieking "fascist" is usually a teenager that doesn't actually know what it means

Jo, London,

"pretty clear that americans are racist and fascist from the posts here."

Yes, of course you are excluded, despite your own fascist, racist, hatefilled comment. Funny however that a black man has no power , influence or prosperity in "utopian, egalitarian" canada (or europe for that matter)

Mr. Kotrilla, Boston, Mass., USA

Senator Obama passion for change is change based on meeting his agenda not the agenda of the majority of the voting citizens of the United States. I do not agreed with abortion, women marrying women or men marrying men. I do not agree on Socialized Medicine or the USA taking over the oil industry.

mark whitaker, plano, USA

pretty clear that americans are racist and fascist from the posts here.

E. Jons, Hamilton, Canada

So trying to get Europeans to help the US invasions isnt about democracy or helping the world - its all about saving a few dollars.

Same old same old US politicans.

No interest in the world just their self obsession of greed. Whoever they elect will be the same and a burden to the rest of us

jce, sunshine coast, australia

"Well, Dave, if Democrats have ties to marxism and socialists as you claimed, then how do you explain those rich capitalists who are also democrats?"

power hungry plutocrats?

Shirley, Florida , USA

Check the Minnesota polls again. He has lost even more votes here. We are a Democratic state, but those of us who have been on the fence are angered at the way he bad-mouths America and cares more for Europeans than problems here at home. For the first time, I'll vote Republican!

Bob Taylor, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

I think sen.barack Obama will make a great president and
he know more about the issues than John Mcain.
I am a 71 0ne year old woman,
and i wouldnt want to put a 72 year old man in the white house
I am really suprise at sen mccain mean spirit and bias attiuded against sen Obama.

Yvonne Thacker, Atlanta,Ga, Fulton

Well, Dave, if Democrats have ties to marxism and socialists as you claimed, then how do you explain those rich capitalists who are also democrats?

Would you claim the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffett socialists and marxists as well, just because they are also Democrats?

Timothy Tay, Perth, Australia

Interesting reading the posts above. God help America. Naive parochialism and xenophobia - alive and well in the USA.

John Thomas, Melbourne, Australia

A new poll today shows Obama ahead by 6 points. If you breakdown the poll #s, it's the over 65 year olds who are the ones supporting Mccain. Mccain has been nothing but criticizing Obama this whole week and being a whiner, making him look more like a 'grumpy old man' than a presidential candidate.

Ann, Pasadena, CA, USA

I would love to see a black man (or woman) as president (actually, I would have preferred to have seen an Italian as president -- maybe Giuliani next election??) but I don't want to see a socialist as president. I'd vote for Colin Powell or Condi Rice any day.

S. Patrizio, Palm Beach Gardens, FL,

American citizens are fed up with the Globalists that keep getting shoved down our throats by the CFR, DNC and RNC.

We want a candidate that puts the USA first for a change. Let the world fend for itself. It hates us either way, might as well save our hard earned tax $ for our own.

Barbara Panagos, Las Vegas, USA

I could care less about what Europeans think about Americans and American society. I think we need to pull farther from europe, not become closer. Obama is losing me on this eurotrip. I'm not quite sure what he's doing other than other than lapping up being trreated like a rockstar.

Mario, Miami, Florida

If US voters are foolish enough to get suckered in once again by the same old lies and tactics that got Bush re-elected in 2004 and elect a "national security" president who can't even keep the main players in the Middle East straight, they will be getting what they deserve.

TK Major, Long Beach, California, USA

I'd love Obama too if I wasn't American. The world loves Obama because he lessens America and our history. He speaks up to the world, and they like that. If Obama wins everyone will be disappointed as he can never live up to the godlike status he's been given.

Tom, Miami, United States

Obama is exemplifying an increasingly volatile riff between the Left and the Right. I have no idea how it will culminate in the future, but it won't be pretty....

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Jacob Zimmerman, Libertyville, Penn., USA

I for one believe Barack Obama's nine-day international tour had been a huge success. He is acting presidential and has been well received. so far. Obama’s trip – and particularly his speech to 200,000 iBerliners was magnificant. John McCain appears very nervous and envious of Obama's performance

WARIS SHERE, Winnipeg, Canada

Obama and the democrats have strong ties to marxism and international socialists through groups such as the democrats in the Congressional Progressive Caucus which is never mentioned in the USA news sources. Obama is visiting his European cohorts. Many of us don't like that politics.

Dave Parrott, Acworth, GA, USA

Nationalism was essential for the 20th century as countries the world over asserted their sovereignty. Today, however, blind nationalism can be a real stumbling block in both a country's security and economic viability. Obama's trip forged essential ties that secure America's future livelihood.

Teri Foss, Forks, Washington, USA

I hope Obama is having fun pretending to be president. Because it's the closests he's going to get!

Dan Bananian, York, Pennsylvania,

Every step of the way obama has proven to be more concerned with foreigners than with Americans. He first showed this when he lied about not supporting NAFTA, then turned around and met secretly with canadian officials telling them he wasn't serious. How can Americans trust this guy?

V. D'Souza, Memphis, Tenn., United States of America

""Mr Obama’s almost flawless audition on the world stage. "

Obama's trip has been full of gaffes. They are not reflected in the USA MSM. Instead, they have fostered a counter-narrative that McCain's gaffes are unique.

Jason, Chico,

It is so absurd to say Obama is ignoring his constituency at home! First he's criticized for not going abroad, and then he's criticized when he does.
I support Barack Obama for President of the United States especially because of the influence he will have internationally.

Tiare Flora, Durango, U.S.A.

what matters in this campaign and previous ones,is the ability to show that leadership character which has undoubtedly proven to posses in this man Barack Obama.Not worthly words about values or background which underminds the interest of the people.The world is reshaping and U S is taking the lead

Brighte Ndanjim, Douala, Cameroon

Americans that are paying attention to what is happening with Western Europe see an old dying way of life surviving on social life support programs. Obama wants to emulate this genteel dying of societies in America.

Ralph Woods, Avondale, Arizona, USA

As soon as Obama gets back, he'll focus on the economy, ONE of McCain's weak spots. In about a week or two, I predict a jump in the polls for Obama. Now that Obama has filled his own foreign policy gap, McCain should learn more about laws, technology and economics (You can't fix stupid though).

Michael Iliff, Findlay, Ohio, USA

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