The race for the presidency of the United States of America, it could be said following Alice, gets curiouser and curiouser. While John McCain has emerged very clearly as the Republican candidate, the Democrats are on the road to the longest and most expensive nominating race in the history of the US. The Democrat delegates have been unable to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Till the results of the Texas and the Ohio primaries were announced, it had seemed that Mr Obama was the clear favourite. This can no longer be asserted with any degree of comfort by even his supporters. It is true that both Texas and Ohio were seen to be safe for Ms Clinton, but similar safe bastions had previously fallen to Mr Obama. Ms Clinton not only won Ohio and Texas, but also Rhode Island. Mr Obama was successful in Vermont. This means that the campaign, already a trifle messy, will continue. This indecision on the part of the Democrat delegates can only be seen as a sign that Democrat voters, despite their so-called liberal predilections, are finding it difficult to choose between the first woman and the first coloured person as presidential candidate. There can be little or no doubt that the campaign would not have been this long and this contentious had the two candidates been two white males.

The issues in the presidential elections may well become complicated by the influence of economic factors. There are signs that the US economy is entering a phase of recession and slow-down. This is partly caused by, and is being also compounded by, the war in Iraq, which is a major drain on the fisc. Under the circumstances, Mr Obama’s cry that the US is ripe for change may well catch on. But managing the economy might call for experience, which is Mr Obama’s weakest suit. Ms Clinton knows how the system works, and has in her husband someone who once worked the system and did it rather well. The tension between the call for change and the call for experience is perhaps another factor in the refusal of the Democrats to make a clear choice. The flip side of this indecision is the time it gives Mr McCain to consolidate his position and to have a head-start in the actual campaign for the presidency. The attention of the media is focussed on the battle between Ms Clinton and Mr Obama. Meanwhile, Mr McCain is slowly inching head. The tortoise in the fable, it will be recalled, actually won the race.