Able Kaine

TIM KAINE, the senator from Virginia chosen by Hillary Clinton as her running-mate, is endearingly bad at hiding how excited he is by his new gig. The morning of July 27th found the rumpled ex-missionary and harmonica aficionado in Philadelphia, preparing for a televised address that evening to the Democratic National Convention. To limber up, Mr Kaine dropped in on the Virginia state delegation as they breakfasted at their hotel. He described the telephone call in which he was invited to join the Democratic presidential ticket. Hillary Clinton called “at 7.32pm”, he told them, before pausing, abashed by the precision of the memory. “Now, who’s counting?” he blushed. “I mean just 7.32-ish.” Mr Kaine is good at folksy self-effacement.