The small gathering of elderly Iowans plough stoically through their chicken and fries. Having been wooed by hundreds of presidential hopefuls over the years, the voters of this corn-drenched midwestern state are hard to impress. But when Mitt Romney, the immaculately coiffured Republican candidate canvassing them, switches from family values to the virtues of American democracy, the lunchtime audience stirs into agreement.

“America is a unique nation,” says Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, to gentle murmurs of approbation. “America is the hope of the entire earth for a reason. Give us the capacity always to lead the world.”