Is he ready?

THIS has been something of a rollercoaster year for George W. Bush. Last autumn, his nomination as the Republican presidential candidate seemed inevitable: the governor of Texas boasted a decent record, a likeable character, a well-known name, a new slogan (“compassionate conservatism”) and the most formidable money machine modern politics has ever seen. Then came the McCain insurgency; by February Mr Bush had quashed the turbulent senator, but only by spending virtually all his $70m treasure trove and losing a good deal of both his likeability and his moderateness. A snarling right-winger, he won his party's nomination, but had apparently handed the November election to Al Gore.