Kerry is slated over Bin Laden poll

John Kerry was hit by an eve-of-election row today when it emerged his team took an opinion poll on the Osama bin Laden terror tape.

"It's as though he doesn't know what he believes until he check the polls," claimed vice president Dick Cheney.

"I don't think that's a man who is up to the task of being commander in chief. George Bush doesn't need a poll to know what he believes, especially about Osama bin Laden."

Mr Kerry's aides initially accused the Republicans of doing the same but this was flatly denied. Later, they said the poll was actually conducted by an unregistered support group, the Democracy Corps, but this was undermined by a disclosure that one of the Democrat's most senior advisers, Joe Lockhart, was involved in briefing journalists about the findings.

With election day only hours away, the polls were showing Mr Kerry and Mr Bush running neck and neck both in the national polls and the all-important battleground states.

In an extraordinary photo-finish, five of the most recent 10 polls have shown an exact tie. A CNN/Gallup survey today gave both 49 per cent each while an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll gave Mr Bush a one-point lead. None of the most recent polls have given Mr Kerry a lead, suggesting Mr Bush may have a slender advantage.

In the most crucial battleground states, the picture was just as confused. In Florida, a poll of polls put Mr Bush ahead by a tiny 1.9 point margin. But half the most recent 10 polls in the state have put Mr Kerry slightly ahead.

Ohio, where legal disputes are already raging over alleged poll rigging, the average of the 10 most recent polls shows a tie. But the five most recent all show Mr Bush moving strongly ahead by as much as 49 per cent to 44 per cent. Mr Kerry appeared to be ahead in Pennsylvania, by an average margin of 2.5 per cent.

Analysts say Mr Kerry needs to win at least two of these three states to clinch victory.

Both candidates were today making a final dash between the key states in an attempt to drum up a big turnout among supporters.