THE news from across the Atlantic that Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee have won the Democratic and Republican votes in the Iowa caucuses at the very start of the 11-month US presidential race, may seem of little relevance to many of our readers.
The same was probably felt eight years ago when the Texan George W. Bush emerged as a front-runner for the Republicans.
In the intervening years the full impact that an American president can have on Britain has been shown, with dramatic effect.
Mr Bush's war on terror has been the dominant issue in our own foreign policy.
That war will not diminish over the next few years, but the battle against global warming is likely to rival it in importance.
It is a long and tortuous process before America chooses its next president, but whether it is a black man, a woman or simply another white Republican man you should not be fooled into thinking the choice will have little impact on your life.
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