Teddy Roosevelt said that dealing with the corrupt community of jackrabbits, cut-throats and bandits of Colombia was like trying to nail currant jelly to the wall, and the Democrats feel the same way about the Republicans after the coronation of George W Bush in Philadelphia last week

The handlers of George W Bush had a bad moment the other night. The talk shows have had endless fun with the fact that Bush Lite cannot rescue various foreign politicians from obscurity by remembering their names. But 249m Americans cannot remember these names, either, and the shrewd people around the front-runner for the presidency reckon failure in a trivia quiz is a plus. Jonathan Chait reports in the New Republic that they have confided their pleasure in the booboo because it makes their man seem like a normal guy.