Regarding Tim's post on Barack Obama, I fear it is becoming as compulsory to love the Illinois senator as it is to hate George W Bush. Not in America, of course, where it's still looking close in the polls, but over here in the 51st state.
It's not that I hate Obama or even dislike him. It's just that as likeable as he is, I can't find anything in his record that's nearly so inspiring as his rhetoric. John McCain, however, not only has an awe-inspiring back story, but a Congressional record that marks him out as a true leader.
Not that any of that will sway the north London dinner party vote.