Barack Obama is braced for a barrage of attacks from a political campaign group founded by former aides to President George W. Bush and backed with tens of millions of dollars in corporate funding.
American Crossroads, the most powerful "Super PAC" (political action committee) aiming to oust the US president in November, is preparing a blitz of television attack advertisements in key battleground states across the country.
The group, which was created by Mr Bush's former chief strategist Karl Rove, can collect unlimited donations from US corporations thanks to a highly controversial Supreme Court ruling.
Several of these independent groups are poised to assist Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, with an onslaught against Mr Obama, whose record they denounce.
American Crossroads alone raised more than $50 million (£31.5 million) last year and plans to spend up to $200 million (£121 million) on the 2012 election.
Meanwhile the main Super PAC backing Mr Obama, Priorities USA Action, has raised just $6.5 million (£4.1 million).
"It's been remarkable," Steven Law, the president of American Crossroads told Fox Business. Donors "see that there's a change that could happen, they obviously believe that a change needs to happen, and as a result of that and they've been very free with their support," he said.
The group is expected to broadcast its first attacks by the end of the month, amid concerns among Right-wing activists that the prolonged and bitter Republican primary campaign has helped Mr Obama.
Mr Law said that the endless infighting between Mr Romney and his rivals Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich was "certainly one of" the reasons the president leads in opinion polls of swing states.
"Every day that goes by that we're not talking about President Obama is a wasted day," Mr Law said.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll last week found that Mr Romney has continued to grow more unpopular as the Republican primary contest has gone on.
While 53 per cent of Americans hold favourable views of Mr Obama, just 34 per cent now say the same for Mr Romney. Half of all voters have a negative opinion of the former Massachusetts governor – a higher number than Mr Obama has ever suffered.
Super PACs such as American Crossroads were freed to collect unlimited donations from businesses under the Supreme Court's 2010 "Citizens United" ruling.
It effectively stated that under the US constitution's guarantee of freedom of speech, corporations, like individuals, are able to exercise the right to free speech by donating money.
American Crossroads's financial firepower comes largely from a small group of conservative billionaires with strong ties to Mr Rove and the Bush administration.
Topping the list is Harold Simmons, a Texan industrialist who has so far donated at least $10 million (£6.3 million) to the group. Mr Simmons has financed conservative causes since the 1980s, when he donated money to the legal defence funds of two aides to President Ronald Reagan charged with selling weapons to Iran.
He also poured money into Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a political group that savaged John Kerry's Vietnam War record during the 2004 election and is credited with playing a major role in Mr Bush's re-election.
American Crossroads has also received at least $9.5 million (£6 million) from Bob Perry, a Texan home builder who also contributed heavily to the Swift Boat campaign. Mr Perry helped finance Mr Bush's campaigns to become Governor of Texas and is also a major contributor to Restore Our Future, a Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney.
Attack advertising from Restore Our Future was credited with destroying the Republican primary prospects of Mr Gingrich, a former House Speaker, after it appeared he could challenge Mr Romney in the key early state of Florida.
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