Super Tuesday

Yesterday was the day when, in a rush of states to declare their support, an American political party wants to be anointing a new leader. This race, for the Republicans, has been at the same time the most expensive, the most aggressive and the least inspiring. The man who began the race as the front runner, Mitt Romney, has spent millions bad-mouthing his opponents, and he could never really unite his party. An interesting cultural note here: in almost all pictures of Americans, the woman has her mouth open, as if to declare astonishment at how happy she is. Here Romney's mouth is wide open, saying 'My! You are having a good time, aren't you?' but his wife is sufficiently unemoted that she can breathe normally. It sums up his campaign.

Newt Gingrich's wife looks as if she is going to deny ever having known the man, as if nothing in the conduct of the campaign or in the man's behaviour is anything to do with her and that she is only hired help for the day. She is his third wife and this pretty well sums her life as well as his campaign.

Rick Santorum, the evangelical nutter, who has got far further in all this than he really should have, makes an Archbishoply embrace of the world ('Dearly beloved..') but inclusion is not really his thing. I think he would have liked to have been a lot nastier in the race but his sanctimonious public persona wouldn't permit it.

Having done better than anyone thought, he may be a force to be reckoned with but I somehow doubt it.

Ron Paul looks tired but he is in his 70s and after this will hand over the libertarian mantle to his son Rand (named in part, I think, after Ayn Rand). He was this blog's preferred candidate and did well, on the back, astonishingly, of young people and students. Now America may have a libertarian future.

Romney will win, but to quote Mark Mardell of the BBC, he hasn't sealed the deal with the American people. It is good news for Obama and therefore bad news for Britain.