Obama stands on threshold of history as US finally votes

BARACK OBAMA stands on the brink of history today as polls last night gave the Democrat a solid lead over John McCain on the last day of campaigning for the most dramatic US presidential vote in a generation.

But McCain, who has no room for error in the tense battle for a handful of toss- up states, vowed to confound the pollsters and wrench victory from the African-American’s grasp tonight.

The 47-year-old Democrat stressed the historic nature of his quest to be America’s first black president, striking an optimistic tone as fresh polls gave him a wide lead and heaped further pressure on McCain.