The roar of engines and flashing lights of 71 police motorbikes herald the arrival of Barack Obama in Kissimmee where, on an unusually cold Florida night, a vast, expectant crowd is waiting for him.

Yet when he steps out of his car the man who is set to become the 44th President of the United States - if the polls are right - lingers behind the stage for several minutes to speak to the 42nd. Hands thrust deep into his suit pockets, head down and nodding, Mr Obama stands listening as Bill Clinton leans forward and counts off the points he wanted to make on his fingers.

In a bitter and protracted primary battle the former President had been dismissive of the “fairytale” positions of Mr Obama. But here, only a short distance from Disney World, “where dreams come true”, Mr Clinton is being admitted to the ranks of believers.

The erstwhile rival of his wife “represents the future”, he tells the crowd, and should be - will be - in the White House. Mr Obama generously praises the Clintons' record, saying: “I know how much we will need them in the months and years to come.” The wounds of Democratic divisions have begun to heal and the dreadful doubts felt when Mr Obama briefly appeared to falter in September have largely dissipated. He no longer bothers with the smaller settings that were introduced to counter claims of hubris. In these final days of a 21-month campaign the candidate is back playing rock star as he dazzles crowds in the tens of thousands at open-air rallies.

Thrice-daily he descends from the skies, climbs out of his aircraft and pops, blinking, out of a security bubble to deliver another soaring speech. It contains little variation save for references to the location or the weather: driving rain in Pennsylvania, biting winds in Virginia, crystal skies in North Carolina, bright sunshine in Iowa.

“Each of us has a responsibility to our nation and our fellow citizens,” he tells them. “That's what we need to restore right now - our sense of common purpose, a higher purpose of service and sacrifice and duty.”

When someone fainted in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mr Obama parted the throng with a simple gesture of his hands. “Give them some room,” he said, “give them some water.” He threw a bottle into the crowd, which was passed over heads until it reached his stricken supporter.

Outside hawkers plying a trade in T-shirts, hats and badges to queues of up to a mile long said that Obama-Biden merchandise outsells that of McCain-Palin by three to one.

In Raleigh, Bob Gilbert, 52, admitted: “I'm finally allowing myself to be excited. I've planned my trip to Washington for the inauguration.”

Delaclier Miller said: “People all over the world are praying for this man. He's protected.”

In Kissimmee, Dwayne Fyffe, 40, hoisted a friend's child on to his shoulders for the national anthem. “I'm so proud of my country. This is not about being black and electing a black president - look at the people here - this is everybody. This is how America should be.”

Mr Obama's chief strategist swayed gently with weariness at the event in Raleigh. David Axelrod is getting by on adrenalin and three or four hours' sleep a night, saying: “Nerves will yield to exhaustion with a brief stopover for euphoria - if we win.”

Nor is Mr Obama letting up just yet. Yesterday he was sandwiching rallies in Iowa and Indiana around a trick-or-treat Hallowe'en trip with his girls in Chicago. At every stop the candidate implores crowds to vote early, to volunteer, to keep on right through to the end. “Don't believe for a second that this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes,” he said.

But he is daring to look beyond Tuesday. A secretive operation is making detailed plans for the 77-day transition, the inauguration and the Oval Office. The team is headed by John Podesta, Mr Clinton's former chief of staff, whose Centre for American Progress think-tank is about to publish a book on how to run a Democratic Administration.

Rahm Emanuel, a Congressman and another veteran from the Clinton White House, is said to have been tapped for the post of White House chief of staff. There is also talk of bipartisan appointments, with Robert Gates maybe staying on at the Pentagon or the Republican Senator Richard Lugar being made Secretary of State.

In recent interviews Mr Obama has begun musing publicly about how hard it will be “to set some very hard, clear priorities”, saying: “The first 100 days is going to be important but it's probably going to be more like the first 1,000 days that makes a difference.” Policy aides worry privately about whether he can fulfil his promises. What happens, one asked, if he closes the Guantanamo Bay camp and there is a terrorist attack soon afterwards?

Mr Obama said that Democrats should approach power with “some modesty and humility”. If he wins, this Administration faces a credit crunch, a spiralling federal deficit and two unfinished wars. And Mr Obama does not want to repeat the mistakes of the last Democratic Administration, which went off course after a dysfunctional transition, the demands of liberals on Capitol Hill and controversy over gays serving in the military. Only two years after Mr Clinton's victory the Republicans won a landslide in congressional elections, paralysing the President.

In Kissimmee Mr Clinton tells his crowd how impressed he was when Mr Obama consulted him and his wife on how to respond to the recent financial tumult. “You know why? Because he knew it was complicated and before he said anything he wanted to understand. The way he handled this crisis showed he will be a very, very fine decision-maker.”

The candidate sits on a stool watching Mr Clinton's speech, looking thoughtful.

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