"We've had enough of the politics of personal destruction, but we'll never get enough the politics of honest debate over differences, " he said.

CNN: Clinton plugs Gore-Lieberman in convention preview

You could say that they both have a vested interest in dressing up the musty policy differences that have been at the heart of politics for 100 years, to make them appear more heroic.

BBC: A battle for America's soul

Perhaps he is playing up his differences with Germany for the sake of domestic politics, as he seeks to secure a clear majority for his Socialist Party in elections to the National Assembly next month.

ECONOMIST: Charlemagne

There are significant differences between movement politics, community organizing, and being part of the system.

FORBES: Dear President Obama: You're No Saul Alinsky

If the far left put aside its differences and adopted a slightly less dogmatic approach to politics, Mr Scargill might yet find the election of 2002 a brighter prospect than that of 1997.

ECONOMIST: The far-left parties

With the candidates expressing few substantive differences on the issues, observers say the race may turn more on personality than politics, and, of course, on who gets out the vote.

CNN: By Erika Niedowski, CQ Staff Writer