Competence is the key

With the Super Bowl behind them, Americans now turn their attentions to an equally intriguing contest: Super-Duper-Tuesday, when Democrats and Republicans battle to choose their candidates for the White House in 22 states. By Wednesday, half the delegates to their late-summer conventions will have been chosen. But, as the sports commentators would put it, there is still all to play for. In a contest that has defied predictions from the start, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama look set to slug it out for some time to come, following the withdrawal of John Edwards. For the Republicans, who began this campaign in disarray and out of favour, John McCain appears to have built up a strong head of steam. A Democratic victory is no longer a foregone conclusion.