On Thursday, Barack Obama will meet Bill Clinton at the former president's foundation headquarters in Harlem in their first face-to-face meeting since Obama overpowered Hillary Clinton in the primary elections in June.

The meeting comes in the wake of the reports that McCain is gaining lead in the polls for the first time in the campaign.

According to the reports, the former president is all set to campaign for Obama.

Appearing on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," Obama said "there's nobody smarter in politics." He said, he's "thrilled" that the former president will be campaigning for him.

Clinton, the former two-term president, is expected to advise Obama on how to deal with the coming 57 days before the election, in the midst of Democratic worries about Obama's precarious position in the polls.

Yesterday, Mr. McCain was given a double-digit lead, at 54 per cent to Mr. Obama's 44 per cent among "likely voters, by a Gallup-USA Today poll.

According to many analysts, Sarah Palin has proved to be a lucky mascot for McCain and has played a major role in helping him consolidate his position in the polls.