White House race nudges toward incumbent Obama

WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States President Barack Obama has carved out a clear advantage in the White House race even as he juggles the demands of his re-election campaign with managing a raging Middle East crisis.

Mr Obama appears to be enjoying a resilient bounce following the Democratic National Convention nearly two weeks ago, while his Republican challenger Mitt Romney has struggled to land telling blows.

The US leader has a small but definite advantage in most national polls of the race to the Nov 6 election, and more importantly looks strong in swing states that will decide whether he wins a second term.

But while he has benefited from the advantages of incumbency - including an ability to appear statesmanlike, Mr Obama could also experience its downside if anti-US feeling racing through the Muslim world takes another deadly turn.