So that's it then, Obama is in. And fair play to him. When you read the policies, more of his were in line with current thinking than McCains, which I think he wrote when he was in his 50s and has been trying to get in since then!

What cost McCain though has to be the car crash that's been Palin. While entertaining, she could never have been allowed to be vice president, McCain would have been 76 by the end of his term and with the best will in the world, that's a fair age to be in the post of one of the most demanding jobs going. It must surely take it's toll on the body, and the risk was Palin would step in. At the end of the day, a marginal voter would go for the safe option every time.

So fair play. Let's hope that he manages foreign policy a bit better than the current guy...