As an incumbent with high approval ratings, no need to run for office again, and an eye on his place in history, Clinton has become Washington's most conspicuous and sweaty convert to the cause of campaign-finance reform.
Already the subject of furious exegesis, the manoeuvrings of would-be contenders will become more conspicuous in the months before the election, as they seek allies and alibis to insulate themselves from recriminations after it.