Bush coffers grow as Democrats wage a costly election battle

OUR world woke yesterday morning to news that John Kerry broke away from the pack in the New Hampshire Democratic primary in the American presidential election.

Mind you our part of the world may not have being paying much attention the kick-off of the American presidential cycle is only gradually beginning to attract attention here. Maybe it's time to start paying attention at no time since the Second World War has the outcome of an American presidential election mattered so much to us here in Europe.

Having spent three years bitching about George W Bush, many in Europe are hoping for a repeat of what happened to his father. In early 1992 George Bush Senior had strong approval ratings on the back of his victory in the first Gulf War. So intimidating were Bush Senior's poll ratings that most of the leading Democrats decided not to contest for their party's nomination.