Obama, Romney fight to the finish in a battle of equals

 As they zeroed in towards the D-day in a virtually tied presidential race, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, battling fatigue and nerves, darted across crucial swing states in their desperate final bids to woo the starkly polarised American electorate.

On the final weekend before this Tuesday's election, the US President and his Republican challenger were locked in a bitter and tight race to the White House, with the outcome still too close to call.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News national poll showed a dead heat this weekend, with Obama and Romney both at 48 per cent among likely voters, though poll pundits gave the incumbent a narrow advantage in the crucial contest for the electoral votes needed to win the election.

Burdened by a sagging economy and fighting partisan attacks from the Conservatives, Obama, 51, is seeking a re-election with a contention that his job was only half done.

While Obama's plea has rested on the need for more time to revive an economy devastated by the cavalier policies of the former Republican administrations, Romney has sought to convince voters that the American economy was on wrong track and needs a change in command to lift it out of the doldrums.

The campaign though has often taken bitter and nasty turns with personal attacks and accusations, as the two sides spent millions of dollars in commercials blitz.

Interestingly, the Obama campaign took a Republicanisque turn when they released a web video featuring the President talking about his faith, with various faith leaders giving a moral, even Biblical backing for his policies.

The most recent CNN Poll of Polls -- an average of 10 national polls -- has Obama just one point ahead of Romney -- 48 to 47 per cent, with the results very much inside the margin of error.

With the polarisation starkly visible, close to as many Americans will have voted against the winner as against him, once the results are out.