Polls in bigger states, including New York and Massachusetts, have shown him better placed to beat the Republican front-runner, George W. Bush, than Mr Gore.

ECONOMIST: The Democratic campaign

On the home turf of Governor George W. Bush, the Republican front-runner, Mr Buchanan's message drew rousing applause.

ECONOMIST: Regional economies

Mr Ensign's ideas on Social Security and public education look remarkably similar to George W. Bush's, and Mr Bernstein's prescription-drug plan comes straight from the Gore book.

ECONOMIST: Nevada��s Senate race

Cutler and the New York company's retail-banking chief, Charles W. Scharf, bank officials told Mr. McCollum that the company has addressed procedural snarls related to foreclosures in Florida, people who attended the meeting said.

WSJ: Lenders Talk to States on Foreclosure Probes

Should Mr McCain mount a third-party bid for the presidency (almost certainly destroying George W. in the process)?

ECONOMIST: A curse on both their houses

Bill Bradley, Mr Gore's Democratic rival, and George W. Bush, the Republican front-runner, are free-traders.

ECONOMIST: Storm over globalisation

Mr Obama also said he would honour the public commitments made by President George W Bush - who leaves office on 20 January - to support the US economy.

BBC: Obama vows to 'reform' US budget

The George W. Bush-era Constellation project, for instance (later cancelled by Mr Obama), was supposedly going to be a return mission to the moon followed by a trip to Mars.

ECONOMIST: The space shuttle

So did both Hillary Clinton, America's secretary of state, and, surprisingly, George W. Bush, who stirred from his post-presidential obscurity to ring Mr Cameron and urge him to bring the UUP into line.

ECONOMIST: Policing Northern Ireland