Barack Obama cranked up his campaign in the final days before the Democratic convention, drawing closer to naming a running mate and attacking what he said was Republican rival John McCain’s habit of questioning his “character and patriotism”.

Former US vice president Al Gore said today that winning the Nobel Peace Prize has not made him want to enter the 2008 presidential race.

The United Nations’ second highest-ranking official yesterday accused the US government of leaving Americans in the dark about the world body’s good works, a rare direct criticism that drew an angry response yesterday from US Ambassador John Bolton.

President George Bush’s job approval rating has dropped to 52%, close to the lowest level of his presidency, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll.

President Bush is admired by more Americans than any man since the Gallup Poll began asking ‘‘What man do you admire most?’’ in 1948.