WASHINGTON - DEMOCRAT Barack Obama isn't just aiming to win the United States presidency: He's out to win it his way.

After two straight right-to-the-wire races - in 2000 and 2004 - the Democrat hopeful wants to bury Republican JohnMcCain in a landslide.

To that end, he has discarded the conventional strategy of holding on to safe states ("Blue" states for Democrat and "Red" for Republican) and fighting it out in traditional "toss-up" states.

Instead, he is pouring money nd manpower into a slew of traditionally Republican states.

His boldness is paying off.

A new AP-GfK poll shows Mr Obama has solid leads in four states won by President George W. Bush in 2004: Ohio, Nevada, Colorado and Virginia.

Independent polling suggests New Mexico and Iowa, two more traditionally Red-leaning states, are lost to Mr McCain, while the candidates are tied in the Bush states of North Carolina and Florida.

Mr Obama has even managed - shockingly - to draw level in Mr McCain's home state of Arizona: He is at 44 per cent against 46 per cent for Mr McCain - a statistical dead heat.

By comparison, Mr Obama is leading by over 30 percentage points in his own state of Illinois.

His take-it-to-the-enemy strategy, apart from seeking a pretty win, has two other effects. First, it hems Mr McCain in: Instead of being aggressive, he has had to do little more than shore up what should be "sure things" - though he is making a go at Pennsylvania, a Blue state.

Mr Obama also wants as many states in the bag as possible to insulate against shock results that go against what the polls predict. But he's the one delivering the shocks right now. -- AGENCIES